Effective as of 1 March, Google will be getting rid of more than 60 different privacy policies across all of Google’s websites and products to replace them with just one all-encompassing policy.
The policy continues down the road of Google’s long term goal where they see internet users never having to leave Google when using the internet.
This focus has been seen by many as Google operating a monopoly on the internet after Larry Page launched “Google Plus Your World” earlier in the month.
The new privacy policy incorporates all of Google’s services, including YouTube and Gmail, enabling Google to share data about a user’s behaviour across these different platforms.
This means for example, that if you’re emailing your car insurance provider about renewing your policy from your Gmail account, when you pop over to watch that clip of the funny cat on YouTube, you would be shown adverts for car insurance before the video played.
Or it may be that you are searching for things to do in New York when you visit next month and are presented with hints, tips and photos from recent trips your friends have made that have been posted by them on Google+.
Alternatively you may be navigating through rush hour traffic using Google Maps when Google Calendar suddenly informs you that unless you catch the 8:27am train, you’ll be late for that important board meeting.
According to Google, this collation of data across all of Google’s properties will create a much more relevant internet experience for the user by only showing them adverts and information that is related to their own personal needs, interests and preferences.
In terms of SEO, it is yet to be fully seen how this will impact. However in theory it could force new avenues to be explored.
Search Engine Optimisation could require a far more socially aware aspect to campaigns that interacts with specific user groups across all of Google’s products. Rather than concentrating almost solely on rankings within Google’s search engine, more focus may need to be put on Google+ and YouTube.
A far greater synergy between organic and paid activity may also need to be developed. Aside from just working together to establish maximum visibility within search, SEO and PPC could be required to combine in other ways to ensure that a user’s activity with one of Google’s products is effectively targeted over on another.
What are your thoughts? - @PG_Martin
This is why it sucks to work in the SEO industry, Google thinks I am somewhere between 8 and 80, either interested in car insurance, mobile phones, solid wood flooring, renting, holidaying at club 18-30 or through saga …
The issue here (in my opinion) is that the new EU directive regarding cookies, well it was really created to stop this sort of thing!