It’s all about me

One of the biggest shifts in the way we use search engines is personalized search, or the presumption that search results will be tailored to an individual’s needs and location.

According to Google, over the past two years, there has been a 60% increase in mobile searches that include “for me,” and an 80% increase in mobile searches containing “should I.”

Historically, when comparing products or services, consumers would often include the word best in their search queries, such as “best car insurance” or “best television.” But smart shopping doesn’t only apply to big-ticket items. In 2017, Google reported a 115% increase in “best” mobile searches for face lotion, a 165% increase in “best” mobile searches for water bottles, and a whopping 375% increase in “best” mobile searches for salt. Yes — salt.

Now, these “best” queries are becoming even more personalized as consumers turn to search engines to look for “best car insurance for me” and “the best credit card I should get.”

Location, location, location

The highly personal and conversational language is seen in another important search qualifier: “near me” and “nearby.” Our location seems to matter more, even if our searches state that location less and less. (When was the last time you searched using your zip code?) Quickly, even the “near me” and “nearby” location qualifiers seem to be going away, as consumers assume search results will automatically be relevant to their location.

The graphic below shows that between January and June of 2015, search interest in “Houston weather forecast” was relatively stable. But in the same period two years later, there was a dramatic increase in “is it going to rain today.”

Why is personalized search increasing?

Location services are improving across the board, especially on mobile but even on desktop. We’re becoming more comfortable with apps knowing where we are and using this information to tailor content and offers to us.

In addition, voice search using personas such as Siri or Alexa encourages a more conversational tone. Whereas “restaurants near me” may still be a common query, more consumers are asking search engines “what should I get for lunch?”

How should my business take advantage of personalized search?

Take a fresh look at your keyword list and see if “for me” and “should I” keywords make sense for your business.

For instance, we have helped our client MyCorporation use personalized search by targeting keywords such as “should I incorporate myself” and “should I trademark my business name.”

Once you’ve done keyword research to determine what personalized should/me keywords make sense for your business, develop content specifically tailored to these queries. Smartly, MyCorporation has a “Why incorporate?” page in its learning center that ranks organically for “should I incorporate myself.”

Your personalized content could be a questionnaire where visitors input information about themselves to diagnose their needs. This kind of tool could also be a clever lead generation mechanism, especially because you have user feedback.

As Google VP Marketing for the Americas Lisa Gevelber writes,

“Just as ‘near me’ is a contextual signal that people want to find something based on their location, these searches for ‘me’ and ‘I’ are signals that people expect personally relevant content. Marketers who understand search intent and look for patterns in how people qualify their needs have a big opportunity.”

Kim Kohatsu
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Also published on Medium.