Critics have warned that Google Instant, launched last week.
Will have significant implications for small businesses and the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) industry.
As an extension
of Google’s traditional search function, Google Instant allows users to view predicted.
results before they have finished typing and pressed “search”.
According to Google, the new feature will not only allow users to reach the right.
content faster (saving 2-5 seconds per search), but it will improve the relevance of the search term being entered by providing instant feedback.
For Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker, ‘it’s the internet on fast-forward.
And it’s aggressive – like trying to order from a waiter who keeps finishing your.
sentences while ramming spoonfuls of what he thinks you want directly into your mouth.’
But while some users may find Google Instant a little too instant, the greece phone number data main concern voiced by those working in search engine marketing is that it somehow changes the rules of the SEO game – even makes all past SEO efforts “irrelevant”, as Steve Rubel implied last week.
The flaw in Rubel’s take (as others have pointed out) is that personalised search has been around for a while.
Just one example: if you’re in Bristol, UK, and you type in ‘italian restaurants bristol’, you don’t get results for the 30 or so towns in the USA called Bristol; you get results for where you are.
The difference is that now
you can get as far as ‘italian restaurants bris…’ and Google presents you with a list of results tailored to Bristol (not Brisbane) before you’ve finished.
Searchers were seeing personalised results pages since well before Google Instant.
Google has all sorts of information about every previous search, and tailors results based on your previous activity.
If you’ve been to one particular Italian restaurant website before, it’s likely to by being aware of the market appear on the front page (though it might not for your friend).
As Matt Cutts says, if they’re just doing general research on a person or place they tg data may well be swayed to read popular results (i.e. you can be easily distracted by ‘news’ on a topic).