Major Google Announcement Today!!! Sept. 9, 12:30 p.m. ET

[Calamaroo]

The announcement will be made on 12:30 p.m. ET.

Any hints of what it will be? Is it good for internet marketers?

Up-date-as-you-go-designs is the hint key phrase of what this major change is going to be.

Something thought provoking:

"Others predict that Google will increase the number of search results displayed on a page from 10 to 30."

[lukemeister]

real time search results, it's live at google.com right now (at least when I searched for something 5 minutes ago) - interesting

[digidoodles]

Was just getting ready to post... Google instant

Google Instant

[David Bleidt]

looking forward to this announcement. Maybe things will change ...

what do you mean with "real time search results" ? I can't see a difference right now ^^

Reptor

[Calamaroo]

Originally Posted by digidoodles

Was just getting ready to post... Google instant

Google Instant

I think this is going to affect people's habits of using "quotation marks" on their searches. Since they're going to beat you to coming up with the keywords that you were planning to type, you'll wind up just clicking on it without finishing your typing of that keyword and the quotation mark that closes it.

Does anyone know how this might affect SEO? I'm usually optimizing for a quoted search.

[TristanPerry]

Woah, this will take some getting used to! Is pretty cool though and it's live for me already (Google.co.uk, Firefox 3.6).

I quite like it, although it seems very buggy at the moment, in that it tries to immediately 'guess' what the user will be searching for and gives results based on that guess... although the 'guess' is usually wrong.

So as an example, I tried searching for "tau"

The first letter I entered was naturally "t" and then Google thought I was going to search for "Tesco" and shown me loads of results about Tesco. WRONG.

Then I enter the a, so "ta" and it guesses I'm searching for "tagged". More irrelevant results. WRONG.

I finally complete typing (not that it took long, granted!) and thus had typed "tau". And guess what? Google guess I'm searching for "tauton" and give me results about a town in England. Again, WRONG.

Finally I press the delete key and it serves up results for "tau"

So I like it, but it's a little odd at the moment. I didn't mind the Tesco and tagged results as much, but the fact that it 'guessed' I wanted information on Tauton after I had finished typing my query was... odd.

So I like the feature, but it seems very buggy. It's a nice idea though

[Tom Goodwin]

My prediction:

Google is going to shut down it's search engine.

Tom

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

The announcement will be made on 12:30 p.m. ET.

Any hints of what it will be? Is it good for internet marketers?

Up-date-as-you-go-designs is the hint key phrase of what this major change is going to be.

Something thought provoking:

"Others predict that Google will increase the number of search results displayed on a page from 10 to 30."

[L41db4ck]

Originally Posted by TristanPerry

but the fact that it 'guessed' I wanted information on Tauton after I had finished typing my query was... odd.

Surely odd when it should be Taunton

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Yep, I've already got this feature in my account.

[The Artful Surfer]

not sure I like it, too much going on when I'm trying to type out a search

[Calamaroo]

Originally Posted by The Artful Surfer

not sure I like it, too much going on when I'm trying to type out a search

It's freezing my Market Samurai at the point where it says "Fetching SEO Competition Data". Sucks!

[digidoodles]

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I think this is going to affect people's habits of using "quotation marks" on their searches. Since they're going to beat you to coming up with the keywords that you were planning to type, you'll wind up just clicking on it without finishing your typing of that keyword and the quotation mark that closes it.

Does anyone know how this might affect SEO? I'm usually optimizing for a quoted search.

Do regular people have a habit of searching in quotes? I mean, seriously, other than marketers?

All regular people I deal with, have no idea about quotes, no quotes. They never search with quotes.

Are they the minority?

(Serious question!)

Warmly,

Brandi

[krystalm]

I do not like the new feature myself. I find it distracting.

Also, since ads pop up as Google populates what it thinks you are asking for then will that affect ad impression counts? I do not do PPC personally, but I know some use it to check actual KW searches/impressions.

For example, when I put in - how to cure - then how to cure a hangover ads comes up but if I keep typing and put in the word - high - then how to cure high blood pressure comes up. Just wondering about that.

[paulgl]

I don't think people use quotation marks marks unless they get unwanted
results the first time. At least with google. But google has been very good
at giving me searches that I want without quotations.

Google wants faster searches, smarter predictions, instant results.

I have been telling people for months to forget about relying on google
and constantly checking/worrying about their SERPs. There are many,
many other ways to get solid traffic. Concentrating on that aspect actually
can pump you up with google anyway.

Authority sites will become more important than ever.

You can turn the feature off. Google is very quick about removing stuff
that does not pan out. If it gets bad press or user feedback, it will
be gone.

Google sure knows how to maintain buzz.

Paul

[Lucid]

Originally Posted by krystalm

Also, since ads pop up as Google populates what it thinks you are asking for then will that affect ad impression counts?

I don't see this new feature yet, I'm in Canada. But you bring up a good point. My guess is that ads impressions would not be "finalized" and counted until the searcher has fully entered their query or stopped when the proper suggestions are shown.

As for the OP's suggestion that maybe there would be more ads shown, that is a possibility. I've actually thought they should do this and increase the number of ads to 20, maybe up to 5 above the SERPs and 15 on the right side of the screen.

[srswebline]

oh wow I didn't know about this. I hope that this MAJOR announcement is for the better! Hopefully they do not deviate too far from what works, otherwise folks might "searching for alternative search engines!" LOL

<3 G

[David Bleidt]

do you think google instant will have any affect to SEO? What are your suggestions?

I think this could be the end for the long tail keywords because when this will work very smart and I think this will because google is smart, google will suggest the shot versions before they will show up the long tail keywords. Thats only my opinion.

Reptor

[JamesM]

I don't usually search from the homepage anyway, but use the search bar in Firefox instead.

At least they can't bugger that up for me!

[thebarksmeow]

Originally Posted by Reptor

do you think google instant will have any affect to SEO? What are your suggestions?

I think this could be the end for the long tail keywords because when this will work very smart and I think this will because google is smart, google will suggest the shot versions before they will show up the long tail keywords. Thats only my opinion.

Reptor

I agree 100%. This move is the worst. If your sites focus on long tail, prepare for your income to drop significantly. Also, just first page isn't going to cut it at all. You better be in top 3 for short tail keywords with volume.

[dageshi]

I agree with reptor. My experience has been typing something in immediately gives me a load of results completely irrelevant to what I want, so basically I ignore what's going on on the actual page itself, but I find my eye drawn much more to the suggestions box! People will make far few accidental queries with this, they will go right to the main search keywords that google wants them to use. Probably good for google, probably good for users, not so great for seo I guess since everyone is going to have to fight over the top keywords in any category.

[theseoguys]

If I could only develop "Backiink Instant" and set it up as a WSO...that may actually sell!

[Spot the Ball]

Ive posted my thoughts over this at the backlinksforum, google has made some pretty huge moves which affect the Im community and specifically the micro niche sites in a big way over the last week.

I am even more surprised that this community in the warrior forum hasnt really taken much notice as this affects a very large part of this forums users, maybe everyone has a case of the three wise monkeys .. see no, speak no and hear no evil and it will passs.

1 week ago they changed the way the GKWT shows results, even the worlds favourite KW tool has been affected, this will have a huge impact on the way people will decide whether to go into a niche or not.

Today, they announce and start to roll out a system that favours big corporations ... just try typing a few searches in and you will see what I mean.

They have effectively increased their adwords exposure while reducing and taking away exposure to the little guy with his/her niche site.

[Fraggler]

Originally Posted by digidoodles

Do regular people have a habit of searching in quotes? I mean, seriously, other than marketers?

Quotes, AND, + etc were all used pretty widely back in the day of Altavista. It was one of the first things I was shown when using the net...

[David Bleidt]

That is exactly what I' afraid of. We have to stay tuned and see how this will affect the micro niche sites. Maybe the ones who pray for authority sites on short term keywords will be the winner but the long tail guys ... Who knows ... We all know that we are related to the SE's and their rules. That's the game. So maybe we will see the effects in a few weeks. Stay tuned and give your feedback please. That is why we are a community. Don't forget about that.

Reptor

[krystalm]

My guess is that ads impressions would not be "finalized" and counted until the searcher has fully entered their query or stopped when the proper suggestions are shown.

But you know how much ADD is out there. A searcher may be intending on searching - how to cure high blood pressure - but when - how to cure a hangover - shows up they may stop and take a look at results just out of curiosity with no actual intent, thus, ads showing up when the searcher does this are not very very likely to clicked IMHO.

I guess we will have to wait and see what happens. I am sure that some PPC'ers will post if something like this does askew their CTR from previous.

[David Bleidt]

btw another thing we have to mention is, that this can help us to find some new niches. You know when you are searching for niches type in your keyword ideas slowly and then maybe google will present you a keyword and you can instantly see the results and the competition. We'll see ...

Reptor

[thebarksmeow]

Those meta descriptions are going to be real important so you can entice users to go to your site. They're going to need to engaging and catchy. Copywriters are going to be more in demand than they are today.

[paulgl]

Originally Posted by thebarksmeow

Those meta descriptions are going to be real important so you can entice users to go to your site. They're going to need to engaging and catchy. Copywriters are going to be more in demand than they are today.

That's a bad way of doing meta descriptions. It's not a sales clip. It's not something
even remotely for copy writers as it's not ad copy. It's a true, short description
of what your site is about. If it's not, google may choose to use something else.

Your meta had better be accurate.

And meta descriptions have nothing to do with google rankings in SERPs.

Why does Google care about meta descriptions?
We want snippets to accurately represent the web result. We frequently prefer to display meta descriptions of pages (when available) because it gives users a clear idea of the URL's content. This directs them to good results faster and reduces the click-and-backtrack behavior that frustrates visitors and inflates web traffic metrics. Keep in mind that meta descriptions comprised of long strings of keywords don't achieve this goal and are less likely to be displayed in place of a regular, non-meta description, snippet. And it's worth noting that while accurate meta descriptions can improve clickthrough, they won't affect your ranking within search results.

Paul

[Lucid]

Originally Posted by krystalm

But you know how much ADD is out there. A searcher may be intending on searching - how to cure high blood pressure - but when - how to cure a hangover - shows up they may stop and take a look at results just out of curiosity with no actual intent, thus, ads showing up when the searcher does this are not very very likely to clicked IMHO.

So, you are saying that people will start a search but see unrelated results, they will stop? I don't buy that argument. Then again, as you say, it might be curiosity or people just having a short attention span. If so, then I would expect CTRs to drop dramatically. But my ads wouldn't show in the first place in your scenario because I just wouldn't bid on keywords "how to cure...". I guess we'll find out the effects soon enough and adapt if necessary.

[Tom Goodwin]

Originally Posted by paulgl

That's a bad way of doing meta descriptions. It's not a sales clip. It's not something
even remotely for copy writers as it's not ad copy. It's a true, short description
of what your site is about. If it's not, google may choose to use something else.

Your meta had better be accurate.

There is no doubt that the meta should be accurate, but for those that care about getting organic traffic, the meta description most certainly is ad copy...at least if you do it correctly. It's as much ad copy as an Adwords ad.

Tom

[Davioli]

Initial thoughts:

- Most people search from the main page of Google.. (which doesn't have instant search obviously). We need to find out how many subsequent searches a person does till they find what they are looking for. That's to know how much of an impact it might have on long tail searches(if it indeed does have an impact)

- Based on the limited time I've tested it.. its quite irritating. I mean ****'s moving everytime I type and that just irritates me. I'm this close to using Bing from now. I'm also less likely to click on an ad..

- IMO Google will close this... they're taking realtime too far. Its like they've gone to the wrong extreme. They WILL see usage decline after the curiousity dies out.

[Liquidgraph]

Except Instant Search works from the Google Homepage. Please get your facts straight. Too much disinformation out there on SEO as it is.

[DavidCutter]

Originally Posted by Lucid

So, you are saying that people will start a search but see unrelated results, they will stop? I don't buy that argument. Then again, as you say, it might be curiosity or people just having a short attention span. If so, then I would expect CTRs to drop dramatically. But my ads wouldn't show in the first place in your scenario because I just wouldn't bid on keywords "how to cure...". I guess we'll find out the effects soon enough and adapt if necessary.

I'm thinking long tail optimized sites might get shafted here. Think about this scenario - you do some keyword research (based on pre-Google Instant data) and find a five word phrase gets 1000 daily searches. You get an exact match .com domain and hit top slots for that search term.

I'm making this up, but let's just say it was "acai weight loss free trial" and you had acaiweightlossfreetrial.com (not my site). Your visitors now start typing this phrase in and get to "acai weight loss free" and decide they'll just browse those results instead of completing their full phrase because it looks close enough....and now you don't get shown in the page one results.

We'll see how it plays out - same goes for the ppc marketers who bid on those long tails.

[bluefoot]

I wonder if this will affect Google Suggest based keyword scraper programs?

[Davioli]

Originally Posted by Liquidgraph

Except Instant Search works from the Google Homepage. Please get your facts straight. Too much disinformation out there on SEO as it is.

Ooops.. Turns out I was quoting from the Firefox Google Home page. Sorry!

[TristanPerry]

Originally Posted by Davioli

- Based on the limited time I've tested it.. its quite irritating. I mean ****'s moving everytime I type and that just irritates me. I'm this close to using Bing from now. I'm also less likely to click on an ad..

- IMO Google will close this... they're taking realtime too far. Its like they've gone to the wrong extreme. They WILL see usage decline after the curiousity dies out.

Agreed. At first I thought it was an interesting idea, although I think that Google haven't thought that - especially 'new' users to the internet - might type relatively slowly and will be confused by seeing the page moving around and changing all the time.

From a "Wow that's pretty cool" point of view it's good (but I agree that - unless they change it - this effect will wear-off fairly quickly). Although from a usability point of view (which is the most important), it's pretty annoying and I do see people moving to other SEs if it stays in its current form (especially since it keeps guessing wrongly)

[Marc Fields]

I am in Canada too and I don't see it either ... yet!

Originally Posted by Lucid

I don't see this new feature yet, I'm in Canada. But you bring up a good point. My guess is that ads impressions would not be "finalized" and counted until the searcher has fully entered their query or stopped when the proper suggestions are shown.

As for the OP's suggestion that maybe there would be more ads shown, that is a possibility. I've actually thought they should do this and increase the number of ads to 20, maybe up to 5 above the SERPs and 15 on the right side of the screen.

[StephenGates]

I can see it now !! It threw me for a loop a couple of times , before reading about this at the warrior forum.

As I was typing in the search box , it would put up the results below and noticed after typing in the 2nd letter I looked below ( something caught my eye ). Google had all ready came up with my results. As I view the results , they weren't even close to what I was searching for

" baffled This happened a couple of times and i thought maybe I was hitting a wrong key or something. "

Now that I know what is going on , since visiting the forum..I went out to Google to do some searches on Google and see the results produced by Google Instant

In my opion google Instant is not creating a good user experience... As I go back and do searches now and view the results below. It still stands that all the results that are appearing below are so hugely off topic of my actually search desire . That I as a User will be sure not to ever bother wasting my time again with those results produced from google instant.

Until I typed in the last letter of my search and hit the button. I won' even bother looking at Google results. Why should I ? Why should anyone ? The results are so far off .....

I don't know how Google thinks this may be beneficial to their users , with the quality of the results why bother ? It didn't take me long to figure these results are not targeted enough for me.