By Jane Powell and Helene Moran

Google claims that this is a “fundamental shift in search”, making search faster and easier for users than ever before, with likely searches predicted from Google's index of popular searches and users’ favourites and generated before their eyes as you type. Google estimates that Instant will save users 2 – 5 seconds per search, saving its global base of users 11 hours every second.

Whether users will like the new Google or not, what’s becoming clear is that Google Instant looks likely to have an impact on electronic marketing strategy. With Google now achieving 1 billion unique users on their site every week, any change to Google search is something worth watching very closely.

So how is search changing, what are the likely impacts for online marketing and what actions do marketers and content owners need to take?

Of course it’s early days yet, but a few key theories are emerging. Predictive search suggestions on Google has been around for a while, but most of the envisaged impacts arise from three other aspects of the new service, as discussed below.

Changes to where users look on the page

Eye-tracking studies of users shown by Google at the launch seem to indicate that as the user starts to type their search term, their eyes are drawn to the constantly changing search results just below the search box and not to the advertising shown in the right hand panel.

This may have a number of implications for marketing.

Firstly, the tendency not to look at AdWords on the page, combined with a much faster search time leading users quickly away from the search results page, may limit the effectiveness of AdWords as a marketing tool. Those using AdWords as a major component of their web marketing strategy may want to look closely at this approach over the next few months.

Secondly, the user’s focus on the first few results may be exacerbated. If users see relevant results before they get a chance to complete their entire search then they may be more likely to ignore, or perhaps never even consider, those search results which are outside the top three. They may also be more likely to click on the paid ads underneath the search box. Advertisers may see an increase in click-throughs and, hence, costs for these sorts of advertisements.

Thirdly, the suggestions for the search query made by Google now push the actual search results further down the page, meaning that, for 50% of users, anything below the fourth result will be "below the fold", requiring them to scroll to see them.

It looks as though it may be more important than ever to have good SEO in place to reach that crucial position in the top three.

The impact of predictive search on keywords

While the consensus within the search community is that SEO techniques and strategies are likely to remain the same, many are suggesting that it will reduce search volumes for niche and long-tail terms (longer, multiword search terms). Big brands that usually do well on single word searches conversely are likely to benefit.

While it is clear that SEO will not start to rely on single letter or partial word keywords (as Google Instant populates search results for the most popular keywords in the suggested terms drop-down), it will increase competition around a smaller selection of keywords. This will make the choice and sequence of keywords even more important than it was previously. Careful keyword research will therefore become a must for all organisations hoping to make an impression on the first page of search listings. In addition, existing keyword choices may need to be revised.

The change also places emphasis on an entirely new aspect of the search process – interstitial search results. If users are seeing results even before they finish typing in their search, it's important that you analyse what users are likely to see as they type in terms or brand names that have importance for you. The New York Times might be pleased, for instance, that users typing in the word "news" will see their brand name suggested as the second most likely term after only three letters are entered. But CNN will be even happier that they are the top search result at the same time. (Try this on your computer and screengrab maybe?)

Changes to the way in which AdWords operates

A three second pause in typing is going to count as an impression within AdWords. Experts are predicting that this will have huge implications for impressions within AdWords. This will make monitoring of the effectiveness of search terms used in AdWords difficult to ascertain, at least temporarily. The impact that this predicted increase in impressions might have on click through rates is, as yet, unclear. Some commentators suggest that the extra revenue potentially generated from this development may be one of the prime reasons for Google Instant's existence.

Conclusions and implications

Most professionals believe that for organic search these changes will make good SEO even more important. As more companies fight for a smaller selection of keywords and these suggested keywords get more traffic, it will be increasingly important to research keywords carefully and observe the results as they are dynamically generated.

It may also be worthwhile researching the keywords your site is currently ranking in order to see if they appear in the keyword suggestion list as you type, if they don’t you may want to do additional optimisation work.

Google instant will undoubtedly raise the price of PPC advertising. As a result, marketers need to think more carefully about their strategies and watch spending and conversion rates carefully.

About the authors

Jane Powell is Managing Director of Shift Learning. Jane has been Director of Shift Learning since it was founded in 2001. Since then she has overseen market research, usability, e-consultancy and content development projects for many of our key clients. Prior to co-founding Shift Learning, Jane Powell established a reputation as a market-driven publisher during 10 years at Palgrave Macmillan, Financial Times Management and Pearson Education. In this period she built a track record in commissioning and using content in innovative ways in higher education markets.

Helene Moran is co-director of Shift Learning, joining the company in 2004. Since 2004 Helene has been generating new and improving existing digital strategies for Shift Learning clients. A keen adopter of new technologies she strongly believes that digital marketing needn’t be expensive and advises on the most cost effective and innovative digital solutions that are available, with a particular focus on natural search optimisation techniques.

About Shift Learning

Shift Learning was formed in 2001. It helps organisations involved in education and training to negotiate the constant changes within the sector, whether this means dealing with changing learners, changing technologies, changing formats, changing business models or changing initiatives. Shift Learning clients come from the world of education and learning and include market-leading publishing and media companies, educational institutions and professional bodies.

Shift Learning services include market research and analysis; website building and content development; e-consultancy; search engine optimisation; usability services and accessibility services. Among others, Shift Learning clients include The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, The Association of Accounting Technicians, The Barbican, The BBC, BBC Worldwide, British Computing Society, BT Academy, Cambridge University Press, Cengage, The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Collins Education, The College of Continuing Education in Walsall, Continuum International Publishing, Dorling Kindersley, Edexcel, Elsevier, Emperor Design, Espresso Education, Gale, Good Business, Goodfellow Publishing, Granada Learning, Hackney Learning Trust, Heinemann Education, Kaplan Financial, Letts and Lonsdale, the London Stock Exchange, Mary Glasgow magazines, McGraw-Hill Education Europe, NCFE, Nelson Thornes, Oxford University Press, Palgrave-Macmillan, Pearson Education, Queen Mary, University of London, Routledge, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Sage Publications, Scholastic, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Blackwell and Worth Publishers.

If you’d like to make your staff more aware of the implications of Google Instant, the company offers a free staff webinar. Please contact helene.moran@shift-learning.co.uk.

http://www.shift-learning.co.uk/

Further information sources

An explanation of Google Instant is given in this YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElubRNRIUg4.

Alternatively, you can see the full launch event here, which outlines many recent changes to Google including Google Instant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0eMHRxlJ2c.