Google will begin letting users know when it has based their search results on their recent search history and location.

A notification will appear in the top right hand corner of the results page offering users some insight into why they have ended up with the results that they have.

Whether or not this will change things for businesses using search engine marketing remains to be seen.

What is crucial is that Google's search engine history options allow users to control whether or not it is used in their search options, making them more aware of a power they may not have previously known about.

Users that are signed in can also change their location, which in turn will impact on the quality of their search results.

As Stuart Tofts suggests in an SEOptimise blog post, it is possible that this will impact on search engine marketing in terms of providing users with more targeted ads - unless they change their settings.

However, while Google has remained silent as to whether it will allow this to affect internet marketing, the impact on search engine optimisation (SEO) could be pivotal because users may opt to stop Google from customising their results.

Will the new awareness of customisation affect SEO for better, for worse or not at all?

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