Think the popular search engine is keeping tabs on your personal interests? Well, Google says otherwise.
Google has revealed during a meeting with CNBC that personalization of search results is a lot less detailed than most people assume. While many of us may joke about our phones or social media profiles being tapped for information, Google claims that search results are only personalized with data from a user’s location and their previous search history.
For example, if you search “web design company” then Google will personalize it with city-specific results. And if you’ve previously searched for something in the same category, such as “website marketing” then the search engine might customize your results with web design companies that also offer marketing services.
According to CNBC, Google says that previous testing of more personalized results found that it rarely improved the user’s experience. This doesn’t count towards Google advertisements though, which still remain highly personalized and targeted from information such as web browsing history, what Youtube videos you’ve watched, where you work and more.
Looking to learn more about Google? Read up on How to Use Google Maps to Get Good Reviews, 3 Reasons to Switch to Google Apps or What Google Analytics Can Tell You About Customers.
