Google travels back in search time

Google has added a 'My Search History' feature to its online search engine that allows users to view past searches. The technology also lets them search inside the results to quickly retrieve a page they visited in the past.

The feature will provide visitors with a relevant history, such as the number of searches performed and the last time they visited a webpage, as well as an overview of similar searches.

"With the launch of My Search History, Google takes the first major step towards enabling the Holy Grail of search: personalising search results for each individual user," said Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li on her blog.

The feature will allow Google to deliver more accurate results based on past searches and the search results that users subsequently clicked on. Li suggested that there might be privacy concerns, but that getting better results could be worth the trade-off.

To prevent 'embarrassing' results from popping up, the service allows users to delete past queries. They can also 'pause' the feature to prevent a query from being added to the history.

Web users who currently subscribe to Gmail, Google Groups, Google Alerts or Froogle Shopping List can activate the feature by using their existing log-in and password.

New users can sign up for the beta service here.