Future of Personalized Google Search

Google seems to have recognized the value of personalized search. Peter Fleischer, global privacy counsel for Google says that the search algorithm is pretty sophisticated and most people end up with what they want.

But there is inevitably an element of guesswork involved. When someone searches for "Paris" are they looking for a guide to the French capital or for celebrity gossip? When someone types in "golf" are they looking to play a round on the nearest course or to buy a Volkswagen car? An algorithm cannot provide all the answers.

If an algorithm takes an individual's preferences into account, it has much more chance of guessing what that person is looking for. Personalized search uses previous queries to give more weight to what each user finds relevant to them in its rankings. If you have searched for information about handicaps or clubs before, a search for "golf" is more likely to return results about the game than the car. If you have been checking out the Louvre, you are less likely to have to wade through all the details of a particular heiress's personal life.

Developing more personalized search results is crucial given how much new data is coming online every day. The University of California Berkeley estimates that humankind created five exabytes of information in 2002 - double the amount generated in 1999. An exabyte is a one followed by 18 noughts. In a world of unlimited information and limited time, more targeted and personal results can really add to people's quality of life.

Read ‘Financial Times to know more about it.