Google Instant, because fast wasn't fast enough

That's right guys I had to write something about Google Instant Search.

Results as you type.

No clicks.

SEARCH ON.


People seem to be amazed by this feature, with one test case user proclaiming "I didn't have to press enter".

I know how hard it can be to muster up the strength to press that enter key but fear no more, Google has eliminated that burden from your life, and saved you 2-5 seconds for each search in the process! (Seriously though we <3 you Google).

So what's all this Goolge Instant stuff everyone keeps talking about (you have heard about it right?). Google Instant is a new search feature that shows search results as you type. As you start entering your search term google will update the results with each keystroke. Google will try to predict what you're searching for and complete your search term in grey text. As soon as your see what you're after in the search box look down and your search results will be waiting for you.

I think this will be a great feature to look forward to (once Google roll it out to the whole world) and this certainly will have implications for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) although I wouldn't say this is the end of the world for SEO, if anything it will probably mean good SEO experts will be in high demand.

Thinking about what this means for Google, SEO experts and the interwebs, things really do start to get interesting. Google will be serving many more result pages per query performed (Google serves more then a billion searches per day, that's pre instant search for those of you reading this anytime after September 2010).

I imagine many keywords will receive less traffic as google points you in the right direction and other keywords may receive more traffic in return. Because of the nature of Google's Instant search some queries will only last a very short period of time, with the results of queries not even noticed by users as they refine their search. I imagine there will be a way to identify these cases, kind of like bounces for regular web pages.

The Benefits
Faster searches: Google predicts your search and shows you results before you can finish typing, just face it they're better at searching that you are, and yes they know more about you too.

Smarter Predictions: Even when you're not quite sure what you're after predictions help guide your search. The top prediction is shown in grey text within the search box and it's refined as you type.

Instant Results: Down with the Search Button. Before the search button existed you had to press enter to make a Google search happen, in todays day and age we don't have time for all this enter and button pressing, we're an evolved civilization and as such we demand searches to be executed for us, in real-time, as we type!


You can head over to Google Instant and see the marketing videos as well as some question/answers.

If you've  already watched some of the google video/marketing at Google Instant Search you'll know, "Search is a hard problem that's far from solved, but at Google we are constantly innovating so you can think less about how to search and more about what you find."