We’ve been hearing about personalized search since 2007. We’ve even seen some advancements from Google in 2008 with the launch of the SearchWiki. To make even more advancements with personalized search, earlier in December, 2009 Google announced that they made even more enhancements. Now, whether a searcher is signed in to Google or not, their search results will be “personalized” just for them based on their web history.

So what exactly does this mean for the website owner? Take your keyword rankings with a grain of salt. After all, what you see in search results may not be what searchers see (unless personalization is turned off). Instead, pay close attention to your analytic data to see how your website performs as a whole. The basics of search engine optimization still hold true. Keyword selection and optimized titles, meta descriptions, and website copy are still super important. But for total SEO success, website owners should also concentrate on:

1. Web design and usability.
   Create a website that uses clean, up-to-date code and easily sends your visitor to a call-to-action. If your website is old, or possibly new, but designed by an inexperienced web designer, it is in your best interest to invest in a new website.
2. Web page load times.
   Slow loading web pages could mean lower rankings all together. There are many factors that affect a page load time (too many images, large images, hosting bandwidth etc.). You should talk to your webmaster if you feel your webpages do load slowly.
3. Visitor bounce rates.
   If your bounce rate is above 50% for any given page, then look at the content of that page. Does your copy say too little, or is there too much copy on that page? What about the calls-to-action? Is your message clear? The longer a visitor stays on a website, the more apt they are to make a buying decision.
4. Fresh content.
   Is your content being updated on a regular basis? If not, your website will suffer. It’s been known for some time that Google wants to show the most relevant search results to the searcher. If your content is stagnant, well, then it’s not relevant. Keep it updated, fresh, and relevant.

In conclusion, stop fretting over that #1 spot on Google. Instead, work towards making your website the best it can be and let the visitor behavior on your site tell you if your SEO efforts are working.