What is Google Instant? It's a new search enhancement that displays results as you type. Google says it's a faster and more predictive way to search the web. In other words, Google Instant anticipates what you are searching for as you type, providing search results instantly before you're done as Google Suggest flashes a list of possible search-intent terms you could click on before finishing your query.
Stay informed. For more insights into the latest digital marketing opportunities and challenges, attend the iMedia Brand Summit, March 6-9.
Request your invitation today.
Here are a few details:
- Google Instant works from the Google homepage.
- If you are signed into Google, your results are personalized.
- If you are searching on other domains, Google Instant is only available if you are logged into Google.
- If you don't want to see results as you type, you can turn Google Instant off by clicking the link next to the search box on any search results page, or by visiting your preferences page (click More in top links across the Google homepage).
- Google Instant is accessible to all U.S. desktop search users on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer 8.
- Google Instant is available in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the U.K. to users who are signed in and have Google Instant-capable browsers.
- Eventually, Google Instant will extend to all geographies and platforms.
- A beta version of Google Instant is now available on most iPhone and Android mobile devices in the U.S.
Basic features of Google Instant
In September 2010, Marissa Mayer, Google VP of search products/user experience, posted the following basic features of Google Instant on the Google corporate blog. Here's a relevant summary:
- Dynamic results: Google dynamically displays relevant search results as you type, so you can quickly interact and click through to the web content you need.
- Predictions: One of the key technologies in Google Instant is that we predict the rest of your query (in light gray text) before you finish typing. See what you need? Stop typing, look down, and find what you're looking for.
- Scroll to search: Scroll through predictions and see results instantly for each as you arrow down. These features make searching on Google more time efficient. Google estimates its new instant feature will save users two to five seconds per search, resulting in a time savings of 11 hours as each second passes.
Will Google Instant modify search behavior?
In an interview on TechCrunch, Marissa Mayer stated she expected consumer search behavior to shift dramatically. "One of the things I've seen in my own personal usage," Mayer stated, "is that while each search is faster, I spend more time doing searches. Because I actually see the results coming in and out as I'm doing my searches... I learn things as I go. And after I've actually fulfilled my query, a lot of times I'll see interesting suggestions, so I'll scroll around and learn different things, and so I think ultimately, it may increase engagement of our users."
The way Google sees it, as searching becomes faster, consumers save time, they become more engaged, they end up searching more, and Google sells more ads.
Impact of Google Instant on impressions
While Google believes there should be no drastic changes in the techniques used by search engine marketers (SEMs) or for search engine optimization (SEO) in positioning websites in Google search results, Google Instant results appear to give more prominence to big brands. And, it affects impressions.
Google's Webmaster Central states, "With Google Instant, you may notice an increase in impressions because your site will appear in search results as users type."
The effect of Google Instant on search queries
One of the most important impacts of Instant is the increase in impression volume. Because a new search results page appears with each keystroke, the concept of an ad impression requires some clarification. When a user is typing "weather in Germany for Lady GaGa concert" in the search box, the query is exposed to search results for "weather," "white pages," "who is," and so forth. To reduce this problem, Google now defines impressions thusly:
An impression is now counted when a user does one of the following things:
- Presses enter to execute a search
- Clicks on "Search"
- Clicks on a specific result
- Clicks on a suggestion
- Clicks on a refinement option
- Pauses for three seconds or more
The last criterion is new, and it's significant. If a user takes longer to view the results or types at a snail's pace, this new rule could have a negative impact on click-through rate (CTR), particularly for high-traffic keywords.
Tracking and analytics
Google Instant is only activated on computer-based searches from the Google results page. This accounts for a mere portion of all Google searches, the exact number of which is unknown. Of the searches from the Google homepage, some will take place on unsupported browsers, and some users might turn Google Instant off. So we don't know the number of Google Instant searches or their proportion of the Google universe of searches.
Google has yet to provide a means for separating the number of ads served with Google Instant from those served without it. Additionally, Google is currently not providing advertisers with reports that segment Google Instant data.
