This is just my perspective of course. Let’s take SEO out of the equation completely and then let me give my reasons why I hate personalized search:

1. I want to find my own stuff; I don’t want Google putting what they think I should see in front of me.
2. Maybe I clicked on something by accident or a site I am not interested in…it doesn’t mean I want to see it again!
3. I have been messing around for months with another browser or AskBoth to avoid the personalized results because I HATE THEM!     (And YES, I tried turning it off…it magically turns back on)
4. Google, here is hint…your personalized results don’t give me what I am looking for! As I said above, I have to work to avoid them.
5. Let’s take the Christmas season as an example, a husband or wife is looking for a particular gift for their “loved one”. They search and search on Google and are so happy they can be sneaky to order a certain gift. The “loved one” goes online to look at something similar and BAM! They see what their partner was looking at earlier and their Christmas gift is ruined…thanks Google!
6. A good example in the WebmasterWorld forum discussion, so a particular dude is into porn. Google gives him “personalized results”. What they heck happens when his kid gets on the computer?
7. Did you consider that more than one person may use a computer?
8. I don’t want Google paying that much attention to me! Let me have some anonymity!
9. If I go to a site often, let’s take Amazon as an example, I don’t need Google to put it up for me…I already know where it is!
10. America is suppose to be free…personalized results feel like I have someone looking over my shoulder and making decisions for me. I like to make my own decisions, thank you very much! This a perk of getting old…

Google, I have loved you for so long, but who made these decisions? When do you cross the line of trying to give good results to getting in my way of finding what I want? Will new businesses have a shot of making it in your “personalized results”. What about businesses I just haven’t seen before?

Suggestion to Google, why not have something like Amazon has in your sidebar…”You recently looked at this…”, “Here are some suggestions related to your search…”! Don’t be intrusive and take over my search results. It just doesn’t seem right.

Ever hear of “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broke?”…it wasn’t broke!!!!

Melissa- SEO Aware