Ever since Google Instant was announced, there has been an up-roaring of fears and anxieties about the emergence of this new technology in terms of how it might affect internet marketing, especially in terms of search engine optimization. Some people fear that it could be the end of SEO, while others see it as an opportunity for growth. Of course, the majority of people don’t even notice much of a change, if they notice one at all. But before we can talk about how Google Instant will affect SEO, we need to know what Google Instant is.
Google has referred to the new technology as “search-before-you-type.” It allows for Google to make a prediction about what you are going to type. In other words, Google starts displaying search results before you have finished typing, making guesses about what you might type. As an example, if you type “Belmont web d” Google will already be displaying results for “Belmont web design.”
What Google Instant DOESN’T Change:
There are those out there who think that the entire world of SEO has been turned upside down. The fact of the matter is, Google Instant won’t make that many changes when it comes to SEO. There are two main reasons for this.
First, many users won’t even notice the change. Only people who look at the screen while they are typing will see the results pop up before they are finished typing what they are searching for.
Second, and more importantly, the technology only affects those who the shorter entries work for. If a person is going to type “Belmont web design,” than they are likely to keep typing until they get results for “Belmont web design,” rather than stopping at the results for “Belmont web d.” For this reason, Google Instant is not likely to upset the practice of SEO all that much.
While Google Instant changes many topics having to do with search and searching behavior it does not change the landscape of SEO in a major way. Next week we will look at what Google Instant does change.