Microsoft recently released a research paper demonstrating how search results can be better improved by looking at a user’s surfing behavior, which is logged by a “search toolbar.” Here’s how it works: A user’s web navigation behavior – all the web pages from the first to the last one visited — is summarized to identify “search trails.” These search trails originate a query submission to the search engine, and then proceed until the user is assumed to have completed his information seek / has found the answer or page he is looking for. Trails may be from search result pages, or pages linked to the search result page by a sequence of hyperlinks that the user clicks. The end result?

Search engines are able to return “query-specific” results, making it so much easier for users to find exactly what they are looking for.

The end of spam websites?

If this technology is implemented, web spam detection algorithms will become much smarter, and web pages that exist solely to make affiliate revenue can expect to go down the drain. By logging a user’s behavior, the algorithms are able to establish “user-validated authority” — that is, a website ranks better if the user finds it useful. Users usually don’t stay or go back to non-informative pages, and the activity logs show this. Such information enables search engines to highlight websites with high visitor loyalty and give them better exposure.

Smarter search engines = Smarter SEO

Old school SEO practitioners who still rely on keyword spamming and building senseless “feeder” websites just to get incoming links should seriously consider revamping their approach. Search engines can now gauge quality, and are ready to weed out websites that have nothing to offer. It looks like people who think content is not king anymore are wrong. Quality content may not be ALL there is to SEO, but quality content is certainly indispensable now that search engines are smarter. We welcome your thoughts on the ever changing search engines and their increasing intelligence.