Google-search – How does Google keep web history

google-search

Say I search for something in Google and click on a few results. After some time, if I again search for same thing, the search results show the earlier clicked links with different colours and date/time of visit. And, I know that this is associated with my Google account and not with the computer as such.

I had in mind that after the search, Google returns us with a page and clicking on those search results does not go through Google. So how does Google keep the web history?

Best Answer

A basic description of how Google Web History works: http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=54068

[...]

Note: Depending upon whether or not you're signed in to a Google Account when you search, the information we use for customizing your experience will be different:

Signed-in personalization: When you're signed in, Google personalizes your search experience based on your Web History. If you don't want to receive personalized results while you're signed in, you can turn off Web History and remove it from your Google Account. You can also view and remove individual items from your Web History.

Signed-out personalization: When you're not signed in, Google customizes your search experience based on past search information linked to your browser, using a cookie. Google stores up to 180 days of signed-out search activity linked to your browser's cookie, including queries and results you click.

To change Web History settings for your account go to: https://www.google.com/history/

Related Topic