• by Rob Garner , August 16, 2006

Almost two weeks ago, AOL made public the search data of 650,000 users, reportedly to benefit the research community. By doing so, AOL inadvertently escalated the already-popular dialogue about search privacy to a new level. While clickstream awareness is old-hat to interactive marketers, the false security bubble of the average searcher burst, forcing search engines to face serious questions about data privacy.

Google starts the conversation at SES San Jose

While AOL has taken much of the heat in the last two weeks, the majority of criticism over search privacy will rest on Google's shoulders moving forward. During the keynote discussion at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, Calif. last week, Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, was asked if there were any plans to give users more control of their data. Schmidt seemed caught off-guard by the question, but he complimented the audience member for being original, and promised to give the topic some more thought.

Schmidt was also adamant that no AOL-type blunders would occur under his watch. But with the U.S. government and other entities seeking to obtain access to clickstream data, Google will have to continue to answer the question: How are we protecting user data?

AOL's blunder sheds new light on search behavior

Though only available through AOL for approximately three hours on Aug. 4, the data has become available for download on many different mirror sites, either as raw files or searchable databases. For marketers, a lot can be learned about searcher behavior by studying the data. Here are a few observations based on my review of selected queries and user profiles:

1. Stock in vertical engines just went even higher. Out of 20 million queries and 650,000 users, there was only one search for "business process outsourcing." At the end of the day, if a search engine can't deliver a targeted user to the advertiser, it doesn't matter how much landscape the engine has acquired. For b-to-b and other specialized marketers, it is essential to round out your campaigns with SEO and PPC buys in highly-targeted vertical engines.

2. Brand search interest does not always equal brand site interest. Searchers are querying airline brand terms in droves; but more often than not, they will bypass the official site or choose to abandon a search altogether. For the term "Delta Airlines" only 36 percent of users clicked on www.delta.com; for "US Airways" only 21 percent of searchers clicked on www.usairways.com; and for "Frontier Airlines" only 57 percent of users clicked on www.frontierairlines.com. Fifty-eight percent of searchers did not click on any listing at all for the phrase "Northwest Airlines." If you want to capture more of this attention, I recommend maximizing page visibility by building more sites, buying more brand terms, sending out press releases, getting positive blog buzz and being visible in the search engine results page all the time.

3. Satisfying a search intention may take weeks--or months. Some searchers show a topical keyword interest over several months, indicating that this search quest may be ongoing, or that it is never fully satisfied (the data only covers a three-month timeframe). Be patient, think long-term with your search campaigns, and measure the lifetime value of your converting visitors.

4. Search intention can't be predicted with 100 percent accuracy. Thelma Arnold was an AOL searcher that The New York Times was able to track down. Though she made many queries on health-related issues, these searches were conducted on behalf of friends and family members. At face value, it may have seemed that Thelma was searching for herself. (Also see the point about brand search interest above.)

5. Satisfying search is a process and not a linear action. While search is often reported as a single query tied to an action, the reality is that a satisfied search intention is an extremely complex process involving multiple engines, multiple keywords and phrases, dynamics between paid and natural, banner media, and other touchpoints. If you are only buying or optimizing the keywords that directly convert users, you are missing out on the greater potential of search in a big way.

I highly recommend that you check out the AOL data and apply what you learn to your own search campaigns. Share your analysis and data privacy insights on the Search Insider blog.