• Search Engine Land, Monday, February 12, 2007 11:01 AM

Web searchers may not have noticed, but search marketers did. It was more than a "Google Dance" this time when the search leader integrated personalized search into natural results last Friday, said Nick Wilson, CEO of social media firm Clickinfluence; it was "cataclysmic."

Cue the "adapt or die" warnings. But personalized search isn't merely a new search service, it's now the default.So now, everything you do using Google's services contributes to results that are increasingly just for you. The implications for search marketers are vast, particularly in the field of search optimization. It will take experimentation to get it right; social media optimization is key.

As yet, not all Google services are being used to generate more personalized results. The biggies are the Google Personalized Homepage and Google Bookmarks. Google News and Google Reader may one day become important components. Yes, that means promoting Google services compatibility. One could argue that in so doing you run the risk of making your site look cheap.

Nevertheless, Wilson says you should also optimize for social search sites like Digg, Del.iciou.us Reddit. Despite the controversy of marketers and PR firms mucking up this field, the technorati traffic they send tends to use Google Toolbar, Google Bookmarks and Google Reader. Social networks like MySpace, Bebo and Facebook also become more important. That means creating profiles and using them.

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