Google released “Google Instant Search” today. The feature is fairly self explanatory. As a user searches, Google guesses at search terms and instantly starts creating and recreating search results on the fly.
To further explain the new “Google Instant” feature the company turned to their blog and of course produced a Google Instant Search video they put up on their video sharing site YouTube.
Google lists some of the following benefits for Google Instant Search:
Faster Searches: By predicting your search and showing results before you finish typing, Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.
Smarter Predictions: Even when you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, predictions help guide your search. The top prediction is shown in grey text directly in the search box, so you can stop typing as soon as you see what you need.
Instant Results: Start typing and results appear right before your eyes. Until now, you had to type a full search term, hit return, and hope for the right results. Now results appear instantly as you type, helping you see where you’re headed, every step of the way.
Google Instant Search not available on your browser yet? Google says it may take a couple of days for everyone using Google to see the feature. There is also an option to shut off the feature for searchers not liking the new feature.
So far, we love Google Instant Search. This is a big shakeup for the user experience but should result in even bigger changes for anyone participating in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) activities. Now companies will start optimizing for what Google will guess rather than what the user might guess.
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