Today, Google began rolling out its new instant search function. What may be a welcome change for many, may also have unintended implications for others. Will it change the way consumers find businesses online, or will Google Instant make them find you more efficiently? Let’s examine what Google Instant really means for online searching.
Google Instant is the latest in a long line of googley products that is intent on increasing productivity and creating more efficient search results. So how is it different than before you ask? Well, Google instant search will show your search results live…right as you type. Think of it like a giant status update as you type, showing the latest and greatest stream of search results for every extra letter you type. No need to scroll. No need to hit enter. As one google executive put it “It’s search before you type”. By amalgamating your behavior and pulling information from other search queries, Google Instant can offer results that it believes to be the most relevant to your search right on the go. No wading through pages of useless information. Just the results that are relevant.
So this sounds great, but many will ask what the downside could be? For most searchs it will show the most relevant results for finding what you want. However, many factors could influence consumer behavior in choosing what Google presents is actually “relevant”. For instance, most of the top 3-5 organic search results, along with the placement of Ads on Google Adwords, will fill your screen. Some have already noted, however, that it seems the new Google Instant favors those Pay Per Click (PPC) Ads, rather than organic searches. This largely depends upon the search query as tangible products may have more competition via Ebay, Amazon, and other retailers. There is also a debate amongst the internet gurus as to the effect on long tail keywords. Some say that long tail keywords will now be even MORE important, as Google will begin to show suggested long tail keywords as you type. Others argue that long tail keyword relevancy may go the way of the dinosaur, as consumers may invariably choose the first search result that vaguely resembles what they are looking for.
So who is the real winner? You and I. The overall search experience just evolved into something that was unfathomable just a few years ago. Results will change based on consumer behavior, giving you personalized search results every time you search. No two searches will be the same. Yet, not everyone will be happy with the change.
From an internet lawyer standpoint, some may use Google Instant as fodder in their challenge of Google’s monopoly on paid search results. Between the lawsuits involving Google Buzz, as well as concerns with Google’s lack of candor in respecting its users privacy, many may switch back to Yahoo or Bing. Others may choose to switch Instant search “off”, while some many continue to use Google Instant as their default option as it provides them with optimized, real time, and relevant search results. Time will tell how this changes things, but in the meantime searching on the internet just got a lot more interesting.