One week ago, Google launched Google Instant, sending the search world into panic mode.  While some were quick to respond with gloomy statements like “SEO is Dead” or “This will change the search landscape,” we decided to spend some time over the last week reviewing the feature to develop a logical opinion on what Google Instant means to the search industry.

What is Google Instant?

At its core, Google Instant is an enhancement of the Google Search Suggest feature. The goal of Search Suggest is to quickly get users to their desired results by suggesting a list of highly searched keywords related to the letters and words they are typing.

Taking it a step further, Google Instant pulls search suggestions into the search box to predict queries with each keystroke and the results dynamically change with each prediction.  A user can simply hit enter at any point to see the static search results for the predicted query.

How are Paid Search Impressions Counted?

As stated by Google, an impression is counted in any of three situations:

1. A user clicks anywhere on the results page (a search result, an ad, a spell correction, a related search)
2. A user chooses a particular query by clicking the Search button, pressing Enter, or selecting one of the predicted queries
3. A user stops typing, and the results are displayed for three seconds or more

Initial Observations

Predictions are focused on broad keywords and topics

With any feature Google launches, marketers are concerned with ultimately one thing: how the visibility of their site’s result is affected within the search landscape. When Search Suggest first launched in 2008, people speculated how user search behavior would change. Search Suggest was viewed as a positive feature for many marketers because it got users deeper in the search funnel by suggesting ten keyword variations, many of which were long tail and far less competitive. For users who typically searched broader keywords, the feature frequently improved their experience by refining their initial search intent.

With the release of Google Instant, the number of suggestions in the drop down list is reduced to five. In some cases, this limits the depth of suggestions and could actually push users towards broader keyword searches rather than towards tail keywords. In a test of the keyword “digital cameras” with Instant Search, it actually took to the fifth character until the intended keyword was displayed. With Search Suggest, “digital cameras“ was presented after the third character.

We charted number of relevant results suggested by Google Instant with each keyword stroke for the keyword “digital cameras:”

As you can see, by the end of the search all five predictions were relevant to digital cameras, but Instant took longer to present users with their intended search topic.

Broader keywords also mean that topics are less varied.  Sticking with the digital camera example, Google Suggest presented users queries related to various topics, including reviews, ratings, deals, models and price points. Google Instant predictions were limited to reviews and ratings, narrowing the focus to broader keywords. With other keyword tests, Google Instant predicted fewer variations of keyword topics and variations were limited to broader more competitive keywords.

If this trend remains consistent throughout the search landscape there are two scenarios we can envision. In the first, users will select the broad keyword predictions, increasing impressions for more general search terms. This could increase the overall investment needed for paid search visibility and make it difficult for sites that survived organically on deeper search terms to gain first page visibility. The second scenario relates to relevance. If users fully adopt Google Instant , they will frequently be pushed into a broader set of search results which may not accurately match their search intent. Users may have to perform multiple searches in order to find results that fit their original search intent. In the end, increasing the number of searches a user has to perform and defeating Google Instant’s intended purpose.

Reputation could be an issue

If search marketers are doing their keyword research correctly, then a website should be focused on visibility for all keyword variations within the decision funnel for their category. The one area where shifting searcher intent is of concern when there is a reputation management issue.  If users are presented with highly searched keyword suggestions that lead to negative results about a company or brand, it could increase the negative content visibility.

Tracking is not an issue

After running some tests we observed that there is no impact on analytics. This was confirmed by the Google Analytics team on their blog.

If a user decides to click enter at any point of typing in their keyword, Google Analytics will present the entire word that was selected and this word will be reflected in a keyword report if a user decides to click on a link to a site.  The only noticeable difference may be to the number of impressions reported in Google Analytics.

Availability and access

Google Instant Search will only be available for Chrome 5&6, Firefox3, Safari 5 for Mac and IE8.  This represents approximately, 60% of the browser market.  Additionally, Instant Search will not be available for built-in browser search bars. While it’s unclear how much of the market that represents, it’s important to note that this feature will not be available to all users and users can opt-out.

So as a search marketer, what should you focus on over the next couple of weeks?

Pay attention to shifts in keyword search volume.  If users are adopting Google Instant, marketers may notice an increase in search volume for broader, more competitive keywords

• Paid Search: Impressions and click-through-rates may fluctuate for some keywords, but it’s important to remember that since all advertisers are affected by the change, there shouldn’t be any changes in relative advertiser performance.
• Organic Search: Sites may experience positive or negative results depending on their visibility for broader keywords. A week-over-week comparison of a site’s top keyword drivers can highlight any changes. Pay attention the number of organic keywords driving traffic. If a site that typically has 10,000 keyword variations driving traffic shows continued decreases in keyword variance, one can conclude that users are selecting broader keywords.

Review suggestions for all target keywords. If your keyword research is done correctly, there shouldn’t be any surprises in the keyword suggestions. But marketers often forget keyword stems which are variations of keywords based on subtle things like plurals, apostrophes, hyphens and word order. An audit of suggestions against your target keyword list may uncover a few keywords that weren’t considered or a reputation management issue that you didn’t know existed.

Don’t make any sudden changes to strategy.  While an initial review suggests that user’s being will be pushed into broader keywords, ultimately time will tell. Users may not make any changes to their search behavior. Google may adjust the feature based on feedback and analysis.  It’s important to monitor your data and avoid overreaction.

• Paid Search: It is still important to maintain presence on keywords throughout the search funnel
• Organic Search: Broad keywords should always be your long term goal, but continued focus on increasing visibility on tail keywords will improve a site’s authority on a particular subject, making it easier to rank for broader keywords.

If your strategy is sound, there is no reason to panic.  Over the past five years, Google has only made one change that completely changed the search landscape: the introduction of Universal Search. Every other change added emphasis on the basic concepts of search.  If your strategy has a strong foundation and clear goals, then nothing Google does should drastically change how you approach search marketing.

We credit an improv class at from Upright Citizens Brigade for a new perspective on search marketing. It’s inspiring enough to share.

Yes… and

The first lesson in improv is to always “Yes…and” everything. Your improve partner tells you your name is Ichabod? “Yes, and… I’m the sixth in a long line of Ichabods.” She sets the story in ancient Rome? “Yes, and… everyone’s hygiene here could use a little work.” The premise behind the rule is that a story can’t go on unless open minds allow it to go on. If someone comes up with a brand new idea, and all you say is, “No,” there’s nowhere to go from there. If the response to a new idea is, “Yes…and tell me more,” the story evolves.

Search is a constantly evolving field, so if you’re not open to new ideas, you’ll fall behind. Search marketers learn through constant testing how a single additional word in ad copy can lead to a significant improvement in results. Keeping an open mind about new searching habits is rewarding because we can always test to see if a different approach works better than the original. The key is not to disregard something as a failure right off the bat, because you never know how the story is going to develop.

Add new elements

In improv, everyone starts off with zero information and builds from what other people say. Saying “Yes…” establishes that what was said in the past is part of a story. The function of “and” is to make sure each statement adds new information to the scene.

Your search accounts are a treasure trove of data. You might as well just draw a giant X on your computer screen because that’s the place to start digging for the first fact in a story. If impressions rose after you launched a set of keywords, “Yes… and” why? What else happened? The story could go anywhere from that point. The way to make something happen next is to add new information by extrapolating from your data set or running more tests to establish more facts.

Truth in Comedy and Search

As Del Close and Charna Halpern stressed in their book Truth in Comedy, nothing is more impactful than the truth. For improv, the truth is where we find humor. When was the last time you were on the floor with tears streaming down your face while clutching your stomach in a fit of laughter? Was it because you were watching a comedian on TV? Or was it that the situation you were in was extraordinarily hilarious? Because comedy comes from everyday life, the funniest improv always mimics ordinary circumstances.

In search, the truth is where we enhance results. Search is the only medium where people are trying to tell us what they want. SEM experts are closer to a true connection with consumers than everyone else in marketing. The way to be true to customers is to provide a satisfying experience. No gimmicks. No tricks. Just relevance and service. As improv stories earn the gift of laughter, search connections are rewarded with happy customers and exceptional results.