Does Google Instant change the SEO game?
Google unveiled a nifty new way to search their index yesterday. It's called "Google Instant" and it automatically populates the page with the search results as you type. So, for instance, when I type "life" the search results for "lifetime" are instantly shown. When I then type a space and an "i" ("life i") those results are replaced with the results for "life insurance" and so on. There's no need to hit the "enter" key.
I read an article in PC World that made the postulation that "SEO could rely on letter rankings rather than word rankings in the near future." I've even read wild theories that Google Instant "will kill SEO" because no two users see the same suggestions as they type.
So does Google Instant change the SEO game? I say no, at least not in its current form.
Do you need to optimize for letters instead of words now?
Let's first debunk the "letter ranking" myth. SEO will not start to rely on letter rankings, at least not in the current form of Google Instant, because Instant populates the search results for the most popular keywords in the suggested terms drop-down -- not for the fragment of keywords the user has typed.
That is, when you type "life i", since "life insurance" is the most popular suggested phrase that matches "life i" it shows the results for the full phrase "life insurance." Google does not populate the search results with what's best optimized for the fragment "life i."
So you don't have to run out and optimize your site for "life i" in an effort to have your site show up first when a user typing "life i" is looking for "life insurance." Google is still showing the results best optimized for "life insurance", not "life i."
Does this mark the death of SEO?
I always roll my eyes when I read another article claiming that some change marks the end of search engine optimization. This situation is no different.
The claim some are making is this: Google personalizes the suggestions that appear in the drop-down box as you type keywords into the search engine, so no two users will see the same results. That is, if I type "Mexican rest" Google Instant automatically shows me the results for "Mexican restaurants Dallas" since I live in the Dallas metro. But somebody in Seattle would see a different set of results. So the crowd who thinks the SEO sky is falling is saying that the phrase "Mexican restaurant" won't have as much value anymore because Google Instant prevents people from ever seeing the results that are best optimized for that phrase without the location on the end.
A nice thought, but wrong. Google was geo-targeting results for local phrases long before Google Instant was released. Even before Google Instant automatically populated the results for Mexican restaurants in Dallas, I would see almost those same results if I just searched for "Mexican restaurants" alone. So not much has changed there. Webmasters have had to adapt to Google's geo-locating their results for a few years now.
The second part of the "death" claim is that the feedback given by Google as you type will change what people search for. They reason that because Google is instantly showing search results as you type, people will stop typing before they ever get to the long tail keywords you've optimized for.
Wrong again. For instance, let's say I want to sell my used car, so I start typing "used car values" to see what it's worth. When I get to "used car" Google shows web sites selling used cars. Why would I stop typing there? It's not showing what I want. On the other hand, if I continue and type "used car v" -- I get results for "used car values." So the web sites optimized for "used car values" are still going to get my visit! I'm not going to stop on results that aren't what I'm after just because Google automatically pops them onto the screen.
While it's true that some searches might be affected by that (e.g. the #2 result for "chicken soup" is for a chicken soup recipe, so if I was going to type "chicken soup recipe" I might stop at "chicken soup"), that hardly signals the "death" of SEO. It just means that webmasters will need to do their research to find out if they need to optimize for a different (or additional) set of keywords.
What Google Instant Might Mean For SEO
One thing that the release of Google Instant might mean for those of us optimizing our sites is that the suggested keywords are going to get more traffic than they did before. Since Google auto-populates the results based on the most popular keyword suggestions, people are going to be shown those results instantly and may decide to go with one of the phrases in the drop down instead of continuing to type out the query they had in mind before. This has been happening since Google first introduced the suggestions in the drop-down, but Instant may magnify that somewhat.
So it would be wise to research the keywords your site is currently ranking for to see if they pop up in the keyword suggestions list as you type. If not, you may want to do some additional optimizing for some of the keywords that do appear in the list.
What Do I Think Of Google Instant?
In case you care, I think Google Instant is pretty cool. It certainly does save some typing time, and it's fast enough that it doesn't slow me down even though I type 130+ words a minute. Once it reaches mobile devices it'll be great since typing is much slower on most mobiles.
But as far as SEO goes, not much is going to change based on this version of Instant. Google's Keyword tools will start to reflect the new search volumes keywords are getting due to the change over to Instant, and webmasters will optimize for those keywords as they always have.
If Google decides to modify the way Instant works things may be different -- but who could predict all of the changes that have occurred over the last few years that webmasters have had to adapt to? There's no sense in trying to second guess the industry. All webmasters can do is what they've always done -- adapt as it happens.
For now, however, the SEO sky is certainly not falling.
Please post your thoughts and questions in a comment below.
Enjoy this article?
November 3rd, 2010 - 17:57
it seems this could make seo easier because only the most popular keywords will need to be competed against and a great deal of qualifiers will become unused.
November 2nd, 2010 - 16:37
Very informative, but still… when it gets to SEO, I would be the smartest man in my country to say that I figgured out it all. All the changes that take place all the time, holy molly, oh well, very good post after all. cheers!
October 25th, 2010 - 13:21
I hope that Google Instant provides a more streamlined approach to search, and not a complete lock down on SEO. Maybe previous practices will be hampered, but I think new techniques will come about.
October 21st, 2010 - 09:24
I agree SEO definitely not dead.
Google instant really is a very helpful tool from Google. It suggested frequently search keywords. Thanks for the keyword suggestion!
October 21st, 2010 - 02:26
I feel Google Instant can be really amazing. The idea undoubtedly will help save some inputting time, and it’s quick enough which it is not going to slow me down even though I type 70 words a minute. As soon as this actually gets to cellular devices it’s going to end up being wonderful given that inputting is a lot slower on most mobiles.
However as far as Web optimization goes, not a great deal is actually likely to change based mostly on this particular version of Instant. Google’s Keyword resources may begin to reflect the new search volumes search phrases are generally getting due to the change over to Instant, and web owners may optimize for those key words as they always have.
When Google chooses to modify the actual approach Instant works things may be different — but who could predict all of the changes that have occurred over the last couple of years of which internet marketers have had to adjust to? There is certainly absolutely no sense in seeking to second guess the business. All web masters can do is what they’ve usually done — adapt as it develops.
October 14th, 2010 - 02:46
Thanks for this informative post. Google Instant is like a human intuition. Google also helps a lot in a certain SEO for drives more traffic
Google also helps a lot in a certain SEO for drives more traffic
October 5th, 2010 - 17:56
Thanks for this informative post. I did not realize that Google instant tries to predict the user’s full search query. I assumed it was just searching for the partial string. Google Instant should start reduce traffic going to long tail keyword phrases. There are bound to be more people who find what they are looking for before typing their whole search query. They may have been considering adding words that narrow their search, but found what they wanted before they typed.
October 4th, 2010 - 10:57
Google Instant is a game changer…it is good as it helps to save time, typing….Faster results are always welcome!!!
October 4th, 2010 - 04:47
To be honest, I don’t even use instant. I guess you could say I don’t like new things
We’ve heard people claim that everything is doing over the past few years, and the sky is still in place. Adapting usually isn’t so hard anyway, at least it hasn’t been in the past!
September 27th, 2010 - 20:45
For me, Google Instant is like a human intuition. He’s helping out to make the searching fast. I’m afraid with the words “death of SEO”.:)
September 27th, 2010 - 02:43
Google instant is good.It made more easier and researchers may find what really keywords they want to.Google also helps a lot in a certain SEO for drives more traffic that’s what I think.I found this online marketing coaching for better understanding on what SEO could do in Google.
September 27th, 2010 - 01:41
Google maybe experiment with a delay – a few hundred milliseconds – I think instant is a bit annoying. Well this is a great active site and a true resource regarding google instant.
September 24th, 2010 - 15:12
I love the new Google instant. I also feel exactly what you stated will be true. People will tend to go with the suggested search terms if they closely match what people were looking for. So this does mean we should reevaluate our SEO terms and also optimize for the suggested values Google kicks out. But as you mention I have been doing this for a while now. The suggestions have been there, they are not new. Although maybe over looked until now.
Thanks for your thoughts.
September 22nd, 2010 - 14:52
THANK YOU – I posted a similar sentiment on my blog right after Instant came out and I saw all of the “chicken little” headlines about SEO and Google.
It really isn’t that big of a deal. Your post is one of the few I’ve read that has a sensible thought without over-reacting to this change.
September 21st, 2010 - 23:25
As a user I find Google instant rather anoying. I’m glad to hear I won’t need to drasticly change my seo efforts anythime soon.
September 17th, 2010 - 12:40
Google Instant is pretty convenient! Great to see your search results as you type them
September 15th, 2010 - 10:43
Jon, I hope you’re right, but for now this looks like a bit of a game changer to me. Obviously, we need to wait for some hard data to come in, but my initial impression is that sites with exact-match domains and/or keyword-rich URLs are going to get a boost in the SERPs.
Personally, I’ve seen two of my sites drop off of Page 1 in Google, where they had been for months and months, presumably because the home pages involved do not have the appropriate keyword in the domain name, even though I have a lot of incoming links with keyword-rich anchor text. These pages were replaced by sites that had previously ranked well down on Page 2 of the Google SERPS, but which have a keyword-rich domain name.
Besides accurate results, Google wants to return the results quickly, perhaps even more so now because of Instant. So, it seems to me that “profiling” sites based on exact-match domains and keyword-rich URLs makes sense in terms of returning those “instant” results in a way that lives up to that name. They need to show something quickly and by giving more weight to exact-match domains, it probably speeds their response time. Just a thought on my part.
Also, a lot of people looking for longer-tailed keywords are going to stop looking sooner than before because they’ll assume Google “knows” what they’re looking for as the Instant results appear. This is what Google wants people to believe: that they have search figured out so thoroughly that they can read a searcher’s mind before that person even knows their own mind. I for one don’t welcome this aspect of the “Instant” roll-out.
So, again, these are personal observations based on what I’ve seen recently. We do need to see more hard data before reaching any real conclusions; I’m sure you’ll share your insights on these pages and I look forward to them as always.
Cheers,
Dana
September 14th, 2010 - 09:38
Great article! I agree, every time Google changes something there are a thousand voices calling this the death of SEO. And then after a few seconds, they are trying to sell you THE solution to the problem. Its nothing but scare tactics to create a fake demand.
September 14th, 2010 - 03:34
Not sure how much this will change SEO. As far as I’m concerned, I will do everything pretty much the same way as I did before, as long as I’m seeing the same results. Once I notice some changes in results that will be the time to adapt some new tactics. Until then it’s just business as usual.
September 14th, 2010 - 00:06
I think people are too early to
get worried about Google Instant. Only time will
really tell whether it will affect SEO or not. But
for now, let’s hang in there and keep doing
what we think is good work
September 13th, 2010 - 06:49
Does Google personalize search so no two users will see the same results? Sometimes when we are “Logged in” to Google, this seems to be true.
September 13th, 2010 - 01:59
Well said, Jon. I think people are too early to
get worried about Google Instant. Only time will
really tell whether it will affect SEO or not. But
for now, let’s hang in there and keep doing
what we think is good work,
John
September 12th, 2010 - 18:17
I think you are right on your assessment and can help but laugh at the rumors of SEO dying. I can bet some Gurus are going to lunch soon a “SEO is Dead & New loophole discovered to make a Gazillion”
One thing is for sure, one keyword optimized mini-sites will get much less traffic now than authority sites optimizes for main and related keywords.
September 12th, 2010 - 17:37
I have noticed that Google Instant only works when you search on the website, not when you search from toolbar. The question is how many people prefer to make their searches on the website or do it use their google toolbar? Long tail is still better for finding exactly what you want. And from the other side if I know what I want to search for – I don’t need anyone suggesting otherwise.
September 12th, 2010 - 15:32
The game has been changed forever
September 12th, 2010 - 14:40
Just keep writing good focused content and include your topic appropriate keywords with some long tails. Keep checking your websites to improve your copy, don’t let it stagnate.
Google will send you the traffic.
September 12th, 2010 - 07:44
Changes in the SEO process is a nightmare for all webmasters. Although we are required to always adapt to changes, but changes in SEO is critical. Because each web is like a grain of sand in the desert. Intense competition will greatly affect the position of each web to search engines, especially in online games. Hopefully the people at google consider this.
September 11th, 2010 - 19:35
Thanks Jon, this article will cool some of us
maybe there will be some changes in long tail keyword result but like you said the will be not much changes in SEO.. As we all know internet is fast trend setting business so we must learn to dance with the rhythm is best way to keep our self relevant this business 
. Have a great day guys!
To Success Community
Rammesh Perumal
September 11th, 2010 - 18:27
People are so worries about changes to seo because they want to figure it out and than be done with it. That is never going to happen. Seo is going to change always and we as marketers need to keep learning and evolving or we will get lost in the dust. At least we have people like you to learn from!
-Kelly
September 11th, 2010 - 14:16
Thanks Jon,
Your perspective is always an eye opener. I find the new Google tool to be cool and it might help more than hurt. I operate out of the school of more than enough so it can’t hurt. Scarcity and lack creates fear.
We fear the new things that happen. Get real, life and everything in it is always evolving. Evolve with it.
September 11th, 2010 - 11:56
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for the well thought out article. Your position makes sense, especially in relation to the single letter SEO idea.
Whenever I hear about the death of SEO or of something else, I’m always thinking that someone is either trying to make a fast buck on a sensational idea, or that they’ve jumped the gun with their assumptions!
All the best,
Laurie
September 11th, 2010 - 09:28
Thanks for the advice John. It’s always a pleasure to read your posts. This one is particularly useful to get rid of the letter optimization ghost .
Ciao,ciao.
September 11th, 2010 - 09:24
Having read several blog posts on the new google instant update, the message I’m getting is mixed. But so far the traffic to my websites have been unaffected by the new update.
I suppose its a bit too soon, to make judgments yet. Good article!
September 10th, 2010 - 22:26
Google will always improve the performance of their search engine. Google Instant is cool, but don’t see how it is gonna hurt us.
September 10th, 2010 - 17:11
Thanks for your insight Jon. Gotta wonder at some of these ‘theories’ though – particularly the whole ‘optimizing for letters’ school.
Just think… with 26 letters, and 4.938,383,090,330,929 websites, thats, let’s see, um carry the 1, divide by .002, um, ah, thats a LOT of competition for “R”…
Adele
Brought to you by the letter “A”
September 10th, 2010 - 16:46
I think is yet soon in order to avaliate all the impact this changes can make, but agree that could have best seo opportunities as people start to became confused with all the quick changes in the words they are reading.
September 10th, 2010 - 14:17
Thanks Jon! Great post. You always have a rational way of looking at things and it’s great that you share these thoughts with us all. All the changes Google constantly makes can get newer marketers a little scared so it’s nice to have some posts that are not using the scare tactics.
Ryan
September 10th, 2010 - 13:31
NO way is it the “death” of SEO but it may hurt. I target a lot of long tail keywords that will not rank for the shorter portions. It is likely a lot of these longtails will be hurt because of this. (your chicken soup example)
September 10th, 2010 - 13:21
Much like the supposed death of Adsense, the death of SEO resulting from Google Instant is just doom and gloom nonsense. I don’t find Google Instant a threat to my SEO, but I do find it annoying and vey distracting, so I turned it off. I do appreciate your reasoning for why it’s not a threat – just validates what I’ve been thinking.
September 10th, 2010 - 12:48
Great post thanks. It is always easy to see the gloom especially online. As long as search engines are online, there will probably have to be SEO.
September 10th, 2010 - 12:29
Let’s wait and see … hope not!
September 10th, 2010 - 12:08
Great post as usual. There will always be doomsdayers and it is nice to hear about what will really happen.
September 10th, 2010 - 11:45
It seems to me that at times some people lose focus on the “big picture” which is to provide relevant and quality content to those searching for information, products, etc.
Google, Bing, or any other search engine for that matter, are merely a conduit to connect us together.
Optimizing our content in order to be found by the search engines is just part of our job and we must accept the fact that it will continue to change as time goes on.
So, if we all just keep it real, we should be OK.
Rob Shampine
September 10th, 2010 - 09:37
So I would like to place a bet on the fact that your long tail keywords are not going to get nearly as many impressions and clicks as they used to. You better make sure that the first part of your keyword (head of a long tail) is extremely relevant to what you are trying to optimize for because those are the results that are going to show up first.
Also did you notice that the top 3 results in the paid search query are the main elements below the suggested queries. I think it is going to become much more important to bid up on your paid keywords so that you can be in one of those three top spots, because I believe a much higher percentage of users are going to click on them.
But I also think that a large percentage of users use a Google search bar or chrome to run queries, so they will not be affected by Google instant (until Google updates those as well
.
September 10th, 2010 - 08:25
Great analysis as usual. I think people over-react to these kinds of changes because a lot of money and livelihoods are at stake. Every time the big G makes a minor change it can mean millions of dollars for one person and a lot of re-working for someone else.
September 10th, 2010 - 07:44
Thanks Jonathan
It was definitely something disturbing for me at first look. But I think your right! This will not affect so much SEO. We only need to focus more on keywords.
September 10th, 2010 - 06:31
You ever notice how though people abhor change, marketers seize on it? This is the perfect example: “SEO is irrelevant.”
First off, not *everybody* uses google for search. I know, “shocking.”
But more importantly, all their new search is doing is displaying things on the fly. Big deal.
Especially if you use a keyword tool like Jonathan’s (kw snatcher) which suggests keywords based on EXACTLY what google is doing with Instant…if I’m not mistaken
September 10th, 2010 - 05:07
I do know that no two people get the same search for the same keywords. What I’ve noticed using Google searches constantly is that if I go to a site on a regular basis, that site will start showing up on the first page making me think the site is ranked higher than it is. In my case, this site was the one I was working on so I could not tell where it was unless I use certain tools for rank checking.
As for Google Instant, as you said, Google has been doing this for a while now and I am one that likes the drop down suggestions. If I do not use the suggested key words from Google and type in my own, the next time I search for the same thing, my keywords are part of the drop down.
I recently read where Google is becoming the 3rd part of our brains…ummmm.
September 10th, 2010 - 03:18
I think this will only take real effect in the coming years.
If google change things as they are immediately then what has made them successful would be in danger of being undone.
Google have got to where they are by serving relevant pages, this actually puts that in a slight danger as the user has less chance of getting what they are searching for this way.
It’s like going to eat in a certain restaurant but because you pass others on the way, you might be tempted to go in and not get to the one you want. Even then you are going to a place you know, ona search engine you are not that certain at times – that’s why your searching
Hope that makes sense
William…
September 10th, 2010 - 02:53
Honestly the longtail traffic on one of my sites has been affected by Google instant. I think it gives more favor to those eho rank on 2 word keyphrase.
September 10th, 2010 - 02:36
Thanks Jon for adding some reassuring common sense to the latest ‘Death of…” debate. Funny how folks still get all worked up about these new developments. I think in the end it is very much business as usual. It is good to be aware of the changes, but we shoudn’t allow them to distract us to such an extent.
September 10th, 2010 - 02:25
So far I see no change in website traffic, might be that after a week when you can see the long term trend it will be a +-10% change up or down.
September 10th, 2010 - 02:10
Yesterday I searched for “hdmi splitter powered cable” and was shocked when the entire page constantly jumped around as I typed! After a few seconds I realized that Google was foisting another of its ‘innovations’ upon us. (Bring back the old AdWords interface!)
If it’s supposed to save people time searching, it certainly didn’t save mine. It had the opposite effect. Not only is it VERY distracting when the page changes whenever I type a letter, but more time is spent checking to see whether I’ve already got the results I want than it takes to type out the entire search term and be sure that I have the right results.
Not only that, I like a command to be executed when I hit the ENTER key. I know then that I’m in control of what I’m doing, and that what I expect to happen will happen. It’s only one extra keystroke, for Pete’s sake!
In my opinion, Google Instant is a waste of time, effort, bandwidth (for which we pay) and energy. I’ve switched it off at ‘Settings > Search settings’. Unfortunately, most people who dislike it are unlikely to find it at the foot of that page, or even realize that they CAN switch it off.
September 10th, 2010 - 01:55
I agree with you Jonathan, especially on the part where the keywords shown in Google’s drop down will get more search volume than before.
September 10th, 2010 - 01:41
Hi Jonathan
I think that every time Google makes any little change you will get people jumping up and down and claiming that SEO is coming to an end, I agree with you that this is unlikely to happen any time soon. When people search for information it is still keywords that are going to be used. the instant system might just make it a little faster for them.
Michelle Jayes
September 10th, 2010 - 01:29
The best wisdom I’ve heard is to continue to make our websites relevant, with good-quality, original content. Give Google what they want and we should be relatively safe. That does not mean we shouldn’t keep an eye on the technical issues like SEO of course. I do appreciate hearing Jonathan’s perspective. Thanks JL!
September 10th, 2010 - 01:04
My last sentence should end with a question mark. It certainly does pose a question that I hope someone here will be able to answer.
Julie
September 10th, 2010 - 01:00
You have a knack for words that establish clarity as you explain these processes that non-techies find just outside of their grasp. I have a confusion in my mind about how Google operates.
Would Google Instant and Google Local be related in any way? I would hate to see Google Local leave the scene as it just reached the internet in June, which was the second change in algorithms this year. They began looking at information in a different way in late January.
The January change brought more of the “expert” sources to the top of search results. So, which will win, Google Local or Google Instant – or would one manage to cancel the other.
Julie
September 9th, 2010 - 23:46
I already saw the confusion in my own family ha ha ha. My younger son wanted to find his favorite cartoon site but was faced with this instant populated searches. He immediately accused his older brother of messing around with the settings as usual. I had to come in and explain that “That must have been another google thing”.
We have seen in the past that as soon as google changes anything in their algorithm most people panic. My code of conduct has always been keep your cool and see what comes after that before you make changes.
September 9th, 2010 - 23:45
I would have to disagree with you on that one there John. What you left out was that alot of the people that are searching tend to be less tech savvy.
I’ve left to a conclusion that once a person starts searching, if a result pops up on the screen that is similar, they will click it. This is so true for Google Instant. Ive come to this conclusion because I watched my mother and brothers search google countless times. They never tend to type out the whole long tailed keyword, and always uses the mouse to click on the “Suggested Keyword”. Now that Instant is out, they will just click on the website… Which is the high PR, authority site that noone really likes. (Heroes turn to Hertz, Ana turns to Google Analyics, etc…)
September 9th, 2010 - 23:32
Hey Jonathan,
I agree, some things will change and obviously have, but hey that’s life. Google’s job is to bring the most relevant content to the searcher and they are pretty darn good at it. Our jobs as SEO’s is to do the same thing. Make our stuff more relevant to the searcher than the next guy. That will keep us on top no matter what happens. We have to keep the end goal in mind (the searcher, not just the search engine.) Thanks for the post.
September 9th, 2010 - 22:34
Hi Jonathan. thanks for the valuable input. I do not foresee any doom for the SEO marketing industry by this new search logic of Google. The only industry that might get hurt is the one that markets software for generating misspelt words since Google will automatically pop the correct word.
Google still has many years to go before it poses a threat to human search engine optimizers… check it out… I want to search for the phrase `tasty British recipes’ … false results till `tasty bri’
This is the keyword I’d suggest to my client, if he had a website selling such recipes.
There are various other points which I’d like to share, but `my wife’ (yep, got that just after inputting `my wi’ (come on Google, I was planning to search for `my wi-fi internet’ and it is not there in the results)… searching for `my better half’ is better with the correct result displayed after inputting `my bet.’
Just my 20 cents (after accommodating for global inflation)
September 9th, 2010 - 22:29
Hey Jon
Great post as usual. I second your opinion, especially on the part where the keywords shown in Google’s drop down will get more search volume than before.
Time to target more keywords
Welly Mulia
September 9th, 2010 - 22:11
I have played with Instant since it’s arrival and have noticed that as I type, the long tail keywords start appearing to my interest. I believe that as people start typing they will continue down the road of the longest tail they can to hit ‘EXACTLY’ what they are after.
No one types in ‘life insurance’ anymore, they type in ‘life insurance agent Dallas’
As people get used to the new Instant they will be zeroing down to EXACTLY what they are looking for due to suggestions (made by others before).
I am #2 for – cleaning black mold – If someone is typing in ‘cleaning blac’ Instant will show:
‘cleaning black mold’ AND
‘cleaning blackberry trackball’
nothing here I am worried about!
A big to-do about nothing! If anything you will get more targeted visitors due to them choosing longer tail suggestions in which you should be #1 for anyway. BAMM……targeted long tail visitor looking for EXACTLY what you are selling!
I don’t see a problem with Instant, I welcome it!
Brian Ankner (non-guru)
September 9th, 2010 - 21:39
Good post Jon – I just tweeted it.
It would be interesting to know how many people actually turn GI off. I find it very frustrating and distracting.
I felt quite comfortable with the suggestions tool but having the whole page continually refreshing as you type is darned annoying.
I wonder if it will mean a significant increase in global bandwidth with billions of pages being needlessly called? I just typed in “trout bait lures” and it returned 9 separate refreshes. On a global scale this must be a huge waste of energy and not very “green”
Just my 2c
Ade
Ade
September 9th, 2010 - 21:38
Thx for the sharing, now I understand how Google instant affects my crystal necklace business.
Will do more keyword research and hopefully can help to push up my site’s ranks on google.
September 9th, 2010 - 20:50
yup, i agree, the way G determines relevancy and trust is not going to change and definitely not just due to G Instant.
however, SEOs may want to focus more on the suggest KWs, and there are tools in the market that does that pretty well, and Jon sells one of them.
September 9th, 2010 - 20:40
Great post Jon, I always take the time to read your e-mails since they always provide me with so much value and this was not different.
I do agree that this change with Google will not have much impact on SEO, and it certainly is not the death of it. We still have to do our research, optimize for the keywords we want to show up for and put out good content.
This was a well worth post to read and share with my network.
September 9th, 2010 - 20:34
I have to laugh at this latest trick of Google. I find it annoying. It reminds me of how when you try to type in keywords using Google’s blogger site it nearly fights you over which keywords you intend to insert! Quite maddening.
Using AOL you get these constant little yellow boxes popping up in an attempt to tell you what it is you are trying to do. Very annoying.
Instead of making the web easier to use all of these “improvements” are making it a real challenge to get anything done.
I don’t see any reason for this latest Google development, none. Are people really this pathetic that they need this?
But good post Jon. Thanks.
September 9th, 2010 - 20:33
I think that most people that are suggesting that SEO is going to die because Google made a change to their search engine are forgetting that there are also other search engines on the internet.
Whilst it is true that Google are the biggest and most popular, it is also true that there are millions of searches done on other search engines every day.
I don’t believe that one needs to make any major changes to their SEO efforts to accommodate Google instant. You will continue to get traffic from Google if your pages are good quality and relevant, and you will continue to get results from the other search engines as well.
Thanks for discussing this issue.
September 9th, 2010 - 20:32
Thanks for the new update about SEO here, i always open and read the article.
But i miss the article before about frame affiliate..
Thanks
Denis
September 9th, 2010 - 20:06
Great post Jon. I will do my keyword research a little different from now on but yeah… nothing is going to change in the SEO aspect of things
September 9th, 2010 - 19:57
Thanks Jonathan.
I did not hear about Google’s launch of Instant; thanks for the update. I checked it out on the Google homepage and to me, it does not change the way I would optimize my website for the search engines.
Daniel Tetreault
Victoria, BC
September 9th, 2010 - 18:43
Hi John, good update on Google and what happens with SEO.I was thinking that quite a few Search Engine Companies would be terribly distressed if the Big Fella (Google) gave SEO for websites the Heave-Ho. More so , Google would then be classed as a hypocrite , because tagging and key words is giving the online searches what they want , hopefully good and relevent content. Indexing individual letters not necessarily giving the public what they are looking for as too large of vocabulary words to choose from. I guess that means something.
September 9th, 2010 - 18:38
Excellent post, Jon! I completely agree with you that SEO is NOT dead… not even close. I do think it will affect some people depending on the terms being searched, but for the most part I don’t see a problem with it. I’m interested to see how my traffic will fair regarding certain terms. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Analytics and adjusting my strategy as needed.
Using Instant, I wasn’t too impressed. The results were rather sluggish as I typed which was more of a nuisance than a help. I guess like anything else Google does I’ll just have to get used to it.
September 9th, 2010 - 18:33
Nice post and I totally agree with you. Although I do not like it. I don’t like Google forcing people into possibly changing their minds when searching. I think that in the next Google Instant version it’s going to cause even more changes for us to make.
September 9th, 2010 - 18:29
Your last paragraph says it all… We must adapt as things change almost on a monthly basis. But the thing to remember is your content. Stop worrying about what google wants and be concerned about what your cusotmers, visitors or leads want.
Paul
September 9th, 2010 - 18:19
I think it is obvious there will be dramatic changes involving this new system. 1st the top three page positions will become even more important as as people are typing they will be looking at the search results as they go.If they see something that catches there eye they will stop and have a look. This will effect longtail keyword searches as people will get distracted as they go.
This doesn’t mean the end to anything. Just a change in strategy. Unfortunately this just helps to promote a further dumbing down of the internet. You go to search for information on a art showing in Los Angeles and google takes you to another story on Paris Hilton. The sad part is many will click on it. I hope google understands the difference between popular and important.
September 9th, 2010 - 18:05
I’m seeing an increase in traffic. I’ll examine my server logs and see what’s happening. I would guess that my top-ranking keywords are getting more clicks because of the update.
September 9th, 2010 - 17:55
While I am NOT an SEO expert, I’ll go with what has worked for me…
Quality, relevant content
Backlinks from quality, relevant sites
AFFILIATES
The first two are quite obvious, in my mind, relating to SEO.
The third one, is related to the second, more so than the first, as affiliates will be linking back to my site(s), which will improve my site(s)’ position on the SERPs.
Some of the buzz I’ve read, is that google is thinking this will change how people search… Well, ever since the first search engine came out, people have been changing how they search! They’ve changed how they search by learning to type in what they want, more or less. That’s where the long-tail shines.
Myself, I’ve turned the instant off, because I like the CLICK and something happens thing… I may turn instant back on, from time to time, and may grow to find it useful. I don’t think it will change much, in the grand scheme of things, because people will continue to search until they FIND WHAT THEY WANT. I will continue to try and build my site(s) to be, and deliver, what they want…
As I always have…
September 9th, 2010 - 17:53
Hi Jonathan,
Well, while I think it’s not a big deal for SEO, yet… how does it affect Adwords advertisers?
I mean, Google is continually adding news, product feed data, and other things that continually dilute the clickthrough rate for Adwords ads because there is more on the page… and now as soon as you type on a search phrase, Adwords ads are showing even though we haven’t finished typing our search terms yet…
Do those Adwords ad appearances count as impressions? If ads are appearing when they are not the search term someone was intending to go for, and they get counted as ad impressions, then every Adwords advertiser is going to have a severe drop in click through rates and lose the benchmarks they had previously stabilized for what “good” is. And since clickthrough counts towards the quality score… this just seems like a downhill spiral… which in the end doesn’t seem so great for Google since they make their money from the ads.
So, Google Instant… good for users… but what about the advertisers? Do you know how that will work?
Michael
September 9th, 2010 - 17:36
Thanks Jon. Your info is most wecome and as a newbie starting out it is a huge help. Just learning about SEO and now AUTOCOMPLETE, certainly alot of info to take in. Once you have it you know what everyone else is talking about. Love it, keep it coming. Oh and loved Kevin Musk post.
Take care,
BevB
September 9th, 2010 - 17:36
Jon..
Matter of fact, I watched a video about a service that targets Google Instant type results..
It basically takes any keyword that you punch into Google – and goes through the whole alphabet finding “Google Instant” type results for each keyword.
I like it, but not for 19.95 a month. I would rather own a software program that could do the same thing. There is just one thing I wonder about Google Instant ..
This might be a common sense question, but I will ask it anyway..
Are those search suggestions based on what is actually being searched for – or are they just random suggestions? It they are, then this could help you find untapped long tails.
I am always of the mind that buyer keywords, or “solving a problem” phrases are always the way to go. And, it seems that Google Instant supplies a lot of that type of information.
Maybe your next project could be a [similar] type of software product? No monthly fees – please – lol..
Just sayin…….
Robert C – The Wholesale Products Guy
September 9th, 2010 - 17:35
Perhaps I’m mistaken, but it seems to me that Google Instant only works when you search on the website, not when you search from your toolbar – do that many people actually go to google.com to make their searches or do the majority use their google toolbar?
I’d be pretty annoyed if my Google toolbar threw me over to a search results page, because I use it often as a spell checker!
September 9th, 2010 - 17:28
Great job of explaining the new auto complete no matter how google changes the game we will adapt and this new update is realy nothing to worry about just keep on going with good SEO
September 9th, 2010 - 17:21
…what it means for SEO: nothing. Completely agreed.
Only thing that might happen: more traffic from Bing, Yahoo, and the like, because even some click zombies will be annoyed by the new interface and the instant nonsense.
September 9th, 2010 - 17:03
Jonathon is correct.
This is much ado about nothing.
All you guys have to do is actually type your niche keyword in google.com and see what really happens.
It is NOT auto-complete.
Heck, most people won’t even see the light grey text.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:57
Jonathan,
Thanks for doing the “research” on this Instant topic. I follow your blog and your emails that you send (on your list!). For those of us who “rely” on SEO as our main means of traffic, keeping up with the changes Google goes through can sometimes be quite frustrating…so I appreciate your post.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:55
Tell it like it is Jonathan. The biggest problem with the internet is when people talk garbage it gets repeated so often people start to believe it. Fortunately there are rational people like you who are capable of sorting the wheat from the chaff.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:55
Good post Jon.
I actually find myself not even looking at Google suggestions very much unless I am looking for something general. Long tail is still better for finding exactly what you want.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:54
I think folk slowly become a little more web savvy the more they use search engines… some are not so good at searching as others… but either way, besides those not sure as to what they are looking for and will be steered by Google… many people realize that there’s that much ‘kack’ out on the net, that they have a higher chance finding what they are really looking for if they complete their search term.
The nifty Google search helper has been around for a while now, and even featured in Google’s Superbowl Game (rare) advert. Searchers know Google is trying to help/lead them, unless its specific to the searchers needs…. it doesn’t mean the searcher follows fake wisdom !
September 9th, 2010 - 16:49
Instant, does not mark the end or death of SEO, thats absurd. But it will have an impact. For example: Type in Google search “Flower Shop”. Notice how it geolocated you and grays in “in YOURTOWNHERE”
Here’s the impact I see in Instant. The guy who owns flowershop.com would always be on page one because the user would of stopped at flower shop. flowershop.com would in that scenario do better nationally. However, since the option is given for flower shop in YOURTOWNHERE, you could very well elect a local search instead. End result, you may indeed do business locally. Google has just changed your thinking. A little scary is it not.
The thing that bothers me about instant search and or drop down search box in general is that it changes the persons thinking.
To me it taints search. In other words, is a keyword popular because people are typing it, or is it popular because they are selecting it as their only limited option in the drop down.
my .02
JK
September 9th, 2010 - 16:38
Wow…. We are yet to experience Google Instant in Australia but as I was reading about it, all the questions you have raised and answered so expertly in this post, came to mind. Thanks so much for clarifying the SEO situation so clearly.
~Marcus
September 9th, 2010 - 16:38
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the heads up.
Marketing, like life, is one long evolution, and only those willing to evolve will prosper.
Only time will tell how much this will impact SEO practices.
This makes your latest tool The Keyword Snatcher even more valuable.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:35
Jonathan, I think you are right on all angles.
I was a little worried about people stopping before they finish the long tail keywords. But you’ve out my mind at ease.
There is also another factor, which is info overload. Some of the users might just ignore this feature and keep on typing as they used to.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:35
I think that, on balance, this will be better for website owners. If the search engine suggests keywords that the searcher had not previously considered it could widen their range of interest and result in them spending more time clicking around – which is presumably what Google wants.
If it makes us as webmasters think more carefully about the keywords we optimize for, then that has got to be a good thing.
IMHO, this is just part of the natural evolution of web search: every challenge is an opportunity!
Sarah
September 9th, 2010 - 16:32
Hi Jon.
I always get a bit of a laugh from the annual (actually, it would be more frequent than that) demise of SEO.
I honestly can’t see that much of a change for SEO apart from some better targeting of related keywords/suggestions.
Google Instant – for people too lazy to hit the enter key.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:31
Jonathon,
I love Keyword Snatcher. Right now it shows all those keyword combinations for each major search engine “suggests”. Can you modify it to show the prioritization that Google now gives for “instant”?
That would be the best tool for helping prioritize which keywords to focus on for enhancing my sites’ ability to improve traffic.
Thoughts?
September 9th, 2010 - 16:19
Nice analysis Johnathan, thanks.
As for me I am being distracted by the results and a search for what I want does take longer. It’s not the 2 additional seconds it takes because I have to focus back and forth between what I type and the results, it’s that my attention gets divided up.
As a user i don’t see any benefit so far. So i’d love to hear the official version of why this shall be ‘better’ that what we had before.
As a marketer I see another huge opportunity to get in front of more eyeballs by optimizing for the suggested keyphrases (thanks to keyword snatcher) by writing appealing copy for the description meta tag…
Stay excited
Yves
September 9th, 2010 - 16:18
Jonathan
As always its a pleasure to read your balanced and thought out posts. When the game changes the people that embrace it and change with it reap the rewards.
Those that ignore change get left behind. Think Netflix vs. Blockbuster Video.
Keep up the good work and don’t keep us hanging so long for the next post dude!
Regards,
Michael
September 9th, 2010 - 16:17
I think this will be great for those who optimize for long-tail keywords.
Imagine this:
One of your ideal visitors is typing in a phrase, and up pops a phrase that’s more specific than what they were originally thinking, and is an even better match for them, than what they were originally intending to type in.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:16
I agree – It’s HARDLY the death of SEO, this time or any time soon…
September 9th, 2010 - 16:12
Great post, Jonathan. You touched on a few points, including the geotargeting that they’ve been doing for a long time now. I actually see that geotargeting and knowing where we’re at is even more critical now than ever, especially since we have Google Instant.
By the way, Google calls it “Autocomplete”, not actually auto-populate.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:06
I used “instant on” for about 3 minutes before I grew tired of it. I ran across your article and figured I would try it again. Lo and behold, the searches do make sense to what I am typing but it just bothers my eyes. So I turned it off again.
Good reading the responses though because I work with quite a few long tailed keywords and it will be interesting to see over the next few days how my sites are affected by this change.
September 9th, 2010 - 16:04
I’m with you Jonathan,
I don’t think anything well kill SEO. Google rely on it too much and so do we.
Great post mate
James
September 9th, 2010 - 16:00
Isn’t amazing how what one sees as frightening, another thinks is wonderful! I love the new search, because many people are lazy and will click what Google drops down…at least I will use it to my advantage
September 9th, 2010 - 15:58
Excellent, I just saw the link to turn Instant Search OFF – how annoying! I really don’t get the whole point. It’s putting more strain on their servers and is pretty pointless IMHO. It’s searching again and again while I type … OK. You have the # of results covered up (granted most people don’t care, but I do) and then when I’m done, the search link is still there, along with a bunch of other options. I don’t need that, I have what I wanted, thank you.
Any way, some people will use it, but Google was already suggesting terms, right? (I just use a Firefox toolbar to search Google, not the G home page.) Of course, so the fact it instantly goes to the search page and the page jumps around as they type is more of a nuisance I think. It will change how some people search, but SEO may evolve slightly, but hardly die or change that much.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:56
Well said Jonathan! I have been looking for some more valid answers I read those webmasters or internet marketers worried about what is going to happen to our SEO’s… including myself..
But with your explanation… I get a better understanding and read of what this is all about…
Thanks very much
Julie
September 9th, 2010 - 15:47
One thing that can never change is a site that has meaningful content, with more meaningful content pointing to it, and not so meaningful content pointing to that. As someone said earlier, thanks for Keyword Snatcher (which I also love for its niche suggestions). Cheers Jonathan
September 9th, 2010 - 15:36
Aha!
I”ve been posting a similar response to a friend on my facebook wall
The main point was we now have to optimize more for the longtail keywords and try to ensure they emulate how someone would constract a search. The simple examples being “How to…, “Product name reiew/ price/ discount etc.
I think those in niche markets optimizing for long tail keywords will be less affected but time will tell.
A great post as always thanks Jon
September 9th, 2010 - 15:33
Another great post. I always read carefully what you have to say regarding SEO. Even though I came to similar conclusions myself, I do have to say that I feel reassured
September 9th, 2010 - 15:32
I don’t think the ranking factors will change. What will always change is how the research is done. We will have to be smarter.
How are the keywords tools going to be affected? Will not hitting enter constitue as a “search” for search volume purposes?
I am also very glad I got Keyword Snatcher. It is the perfect tool for the current situation with Google Instant. I suppose Keyword Snatcher is still not available? But I did notice that another marketer has just build a copycat tool that looks almost identical to Keyword Snatcher.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:28
Thanks for the post. I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes I feel that there are so many issues that you have to deal with when relying on SEO only – always wondering if I am still “on top” of everything.
Therefore, posts like this is always very helpful to get a peek into what may lie ahead.
Thanks Jonathan!
September 9th, 2010 - 15:27
From a Google user standpoint I really don’t like the Instant feature. When I first saw it I didn’t know what was happening and got annoyed pretty fast. I turned it off after a few searches because it was giving me a headache to see all the images and text flashing while I typed. I’m glad they let you disable it in the Setting of the account because I don’t think I could stand using Google otherwise.
From and SEO standpoint, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see with actual results and data what will happen. I never base anything in SEO off of assumptions, best guesses, or hypothesis…
September 9th, 2010 - 15:26
Darren:
Very interesting observation. I hadn’t considered that. It just further reinforces to me that we’ll see some shifts in traffic for various keywords but otherwise it’s business as usual.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:24
Google instant is a cool new toy, and granted I know little about the inner workings of it, but doesn’t it seem that we will all need to find the information we are looking for based on what we are thinking which is most easily transferred through (key)words?
The voice search application can make a faster user interface but you are still looking for something specific by using a word to describe.
I think the future changes will be the mobile applications that geo target your searches based on user preference data built up over use. THAT may change the way we search for stuff.
Thanks for the post great topic.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:24
This will definitely have an impact on people targeting misspelled keywords, and yes, some people DO build a large proportion of their sites around these. Fortunately I’m not one of them!
Roland brings up an interesting point though; will we see skewing due to the quick flashes of ads that “Instant” brings? Another, happier thought…perhaps people will see our ads flash by who might not otherwise have seen them. Right now, at least, if you see something flash by and back up your cursor to where it flashed, you can once again see the same ads and results, which is kind of nice.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:22
Hi, congratulation on your success. Always inspiring to see young people making it big online
Any ways, I am not that bothered with google instant, I think its quite cool.
But what I have noticed is that google keyword tool and google sk both show WAY LOWER RESULTS than they did only 2 days ago.
Keyword like, puppy and dog, now have very low exact searches per month….. under 100K this can not be right???? Can it?
September 9th, 2010 - 15:19
With most people being slow typers I don’t think there can be any doubt that the long tail will become less relevant as users go for the earliest presentation. SEO for base keywords is going to get hotter than ever.
As to the effect on Adwords impressions etc. Google have already announced that there won’t be any negative effects in that the whole page will have to have presented for at least 3 seconds, or users will actually have to have clicked a link.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:19
I am worried that search will be changed now that I have only begun to understand it.
But on the other hand, I am ready, willing, and able to adapt.
As I have for my short marketing career so far.
This is a wild ride. Hell, I’ll just puke and get back in line.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:17
Google has clearly said that they expect MORE SEARCHES from Google instant so I don’t see how that’s bad for SEOs, they should expect more traffic from the research engines with this update.
Also, I would like to propose that this is not going to kill the long-tail..think about it..put yourself into a typical searcher’s shoes.
You are looking for information…type ‘seo services’, for example and are not 100% sure of what you’re looking for.Google delivers a suggestion ‘seo services pricing’ which is one of your primary question, how much do those people pay and decide to search that instead of ‘seo services’. There’s some potential for the long tail to prevail here if you ask me.
The assumption that people are gonna search less is based on a) that people are so lazy that they look to spare 3-4 words in typing or clicking a result (which is not true) b) the eye fixation…when I search with google instant I notice myself looking at the SUGGESTED results first and then in the main results..sometimes the reverse happens but more the first thing which goes to my first point that there’s a potential for the long tail to be kept here.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:17
I agree this will have very little impact on SEO. This is just like any change with Google you have to evolve your strategy as things change.
Evan
September 9th, 2010 - 15:15
Google is forever trying to make their search results more pertinent to the search string. The more relevant the results they retrieve for their customers is in Googles’ best interest.
If anything, I believe this will help webmasters to better optimize their sites.
By the way, I type 30 wpm…with mistakes.
But it gets better every time I type, which is why I entered my comment.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:13
Great post. I’ve been talking to tons of people who think the sky is falling. This shift is actually helping me. I am lucky enough to be optimized for the top instant phrases already. So thanks google.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:10
Only took notice today of the Google Instant feature,and have to say, its not back at all, SEO will take alot more to be changed, opposed to this nifty feature google provided us with, thanks for the blog Jon, and love the Best Spinner btw
September 9th, 2010 - 15:07
Now that you have reassured everyone, how am I going to sell new tools if there are no scared people.
– good job
September 9th, 2010 - 15:05
Wow! 130+ wpm is fast, Jon. Your brain must run at warp speed. I’m lucky to get 50-60 wpm at 95% accuracy
I wish I had a nickle for each article I’ve read on the death of SEO. I do think we’ll see sweeping changes in the next year or two, but nothing that can’t be handled with a little foresight and proactive attention to how we handle some of the gimmicks and gadgets that always pop up when change is in the wind.
My advice: Stay the course and don’t jump at everything that comes down the pike.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:04
I don’t think anyone could have said it better.
I was pretty amazed at all the hype about the death of SEO over the past 24-36 hours. People seems to really lose it without even taking one second to think what really happened.
I doubt if SEO will ever die and as you said, so many changes took place over the years and SEO is still here. I think 2010 is the year SEO made a big comeback and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:04
Jon
to some things post is good — but i still believe it will affect seo for long tail keywords. If you are going for long tail keywords like 3 or 4 word long — used might stop after 2 or even 3 because they might get a broad result already after reaching 2 , and in most cases i don’t feel to type further,
example== chicken soup recipe– u might stop at chicken soup
if u want to go for payday advance loans online —- u might stop at payday advance or may be payday advance loans.
Its not death of seo, its tough times for long tail keywords
September 9th, 2010 - 15:01
I think impressions only count if they are on the screen for 3 seconds or the user hits ENTER.
September 9th, 2010 - 15:00
Jon,
Have you considered that this only reduce ultra long tail queries?
You know, the kind where people type in entire sentences.
Also, I found that when I was trying to find obscure or hard to find things, this helped because I had to type 100 different things to get what I was looking for, but teh instant results saved from clicking 100 times. Much easier.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:57
Didn’t even know google had done this, so after reading your post I thought “let’s see how it works”
Unfortunately, it wont’ do me any good. I type faster than google can display search results apparently. I tried several different terms, one of them three words long and got finished typing long before google displayed a new hits list.
ah well.
But it was cool that I didn’t have to hit return, just had to sit and wait
September 9th, 2010 - 14:51
I wonder … will the IMPRESSIONS be counted as our Google Ads flash by the screen? Thus hurting the Click thru rate, etc.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:50
I feel the Google instant search adds to the relevancy of the “death to the long tail” debate around the may day update and caffeine. Searchers are now being led by the hand to the most popular searches Google wants you to use. Is that a bad thing? I think it is too early to tell, but I feel it will definitely change things, especially for us
SEO guys.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:50
I would have to agree 100% with Jonathan, as long as Google has an algorithm that ranks site value based on keywords (whatever weight they count for) and on links from other related sites, SEO cannot die.
Realistically, Google Instant only makes things faster and “may” potentially inhibit mis-spelled keywords. But who builds a site based on mis-spelled keywords? Sure you may include them, but they are not your main-stay.
Keep on SEO’in { hang loose hand sign }
Kevin “Awe Yeah” Mask
Authentic Internet Marketing
September 9th, 2010 - 14:46
Glad I got your email about this post, before I get bombarded w/ all the emails that I’m sure will come trying to spin some other angle on this matter. I still don’t know alot about SEO, but I was able to follow this post and what you said makes perfect sense to me. I appreciate what you share with others, it really does help.
Thanks
Johnney
September 9th, 2010 - 14:43
As long as Search Engines exists, SEO will not die. It’s how you gonna adapt to the new changes.
Going to the AdWords external keyword tool to do your research is not good enough anymore. You need to actually google on your keyword and see if it’s listed in the drop down suggestion.
Google is changing the way how people search. Just put yourself into the shoe as a searcher. I search that way too! If the drop down suggestion is similar to what I want, I no longer key in the full keyword. I will let Google decide for me too!
September 9th, 2010 - 14:43
Jon,
As always, I suspect you’re right.
I’ve spent too much of my life working among knee-jerkers, and they often end up spending time, effort and money “fixing” problems that don’t exist.
As you say, SEO always was an adaptive game (just like life itself), and it always will be.
Mark
September 9th, 2010 - 14:43
On a professional note, I think it may be wise to begin research on a higher level keyword phrase to rank for and concentrate on a link building/content creation campaign for that phrase.
If most people are going to be watching what Google throws up there as a suggestion, then I think the percentage of people who run with one of those suggestions may merit the work it will take to rank for one of those shorter-tailed phrases.
Easier said than done, right?
Allen
September 9th, 2010 - 14:43
Hi Jonathan, and thanks for this article.
I was waiting for someone able to clear my doubts on SEO with the come of Google Instant.
This is not a good thing, especially for people like me devoted to the classical “put research and enter” research.
I hope the website placement will never change, or one day we will lose our Search Engine Optimization for an idea like this one.
Thanks a lot and see you soon,
Alessandro Zamboni
September 9th, 2010 - 14:42
Thanks for this article. I was actually worried that now that I finally figure out SEO, everything was going to change. Thanks for helping me relax.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:40
On a personal note, I think it will be great for mobile/handheld devices – like you said, but IMO it totally sucks on a laptop or desktop/keyboard. It is WAY too distracting for me.
I know what I want to search for – I don’t need anyone suggesting otherwise.
Cheers, Jon,
Allen
September 9th, 2010 - 14:40
Hi John,
I was waiting for your point of view on this matter.
I might disagree in the letter optimization though, if I optimize for “life I”, this would appear in those results, long before the user found my competition in “life Insurance”.
Some experiments are on the way on this area so I’ll have some backup of this theory, but as you put it “All webmasters can do is what they’ve always done — adapt as it happens.”
Thanks for your insight.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:40
Hey Jon,
Thanks for saying what needed saying! The sky is falling guys were all over this yesterday. I have noticed, that even with variable search between users, geo-locations and computers, there is still a main crop of sites that floats to the top across multiple related keyword sets. These sites continue to have the votes including social proof Google is looking for and they will come up.
I am just wondering, since Google ad revenues on the paid side have been declining over the last year, if the 5 seconds per person saved through Instant will ultimately result in more paid ad clicks for G, since now with all this extra time on our collective hands, we can click more ads?
Thanks again for your insights,
Jerry
September 9th, 2010 - 14:39
Thanks, Jon – I’ve been looking at this closely. One misconception that I am seeing over and over again is that this only affects searches that are logged into their google accounts. That is NOT true. This “Google Instant” functionality works for everyone.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:39
Glad I have keyword snatcher!
September 9th, 2010 - 14:39
Thanks Jonathan, great article!
Definetly worth tweeting and linking to. You clarified some of the biggest myths and rants right now. You pointed everything out…
And you saved me a lot of thinking myself.
Thanks again. Have a great day!
September 9th, 2010 - 14:37
I don’t think SEO will ever die, just evolve.
However, I do think that Google Instant has to potential to radically change traditional SEO practices.
I linked a blog post I made about it in the website field when commenting if you want more information, but the main change I see happening is how less sticky people are when searching.
Google Instant hasn’t gone standard yet, but when it does people will be relying on the top 3 positions to keep a potential visitor from just changing their search phrase. So, there’s a lot of extra visitors people could get if they are in the top three for their keywords, but there’s a potential for those lower than top 3 to lose traffic they use to get if those in the top 3 don’t have catchy titles.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:33
Thanks Jon. I’ve been waiting for a well-thought out blog post on this subject. I posted my thoughts on the change as well.
Anyway, this isn’t the death of SEO: It’s a new beginning. Google Instant’s main impact is really just time-saving. Everyone always blows things way out of proportion.
September 9th, 2010 - 14:28
Thanks for making this post, Jon!
I always laugh when I hear “death of SEO” mentioned somewhere. There has been a lot of crazy nonsense floating around about this latest change and it’s good to hear such a balanced perspective.
I have to admit that I’m really interested in seeing if my sites will get more visitors than usual when it comes to the basic keywords.
Keep it up!
Josip