Cullmann Design Blog

Search engine giant Google recently announced a redesign of their homepage that enables a new way to see your search result. This new method, titled Google Instant, shows a real-time adjustment in your search results as well as “suggestions”. The new search mechanism allows users to see the results as they add characters to their search query. The page dynamically changes the search engine results page (SERPs) as well as the Google advertising that appears above and to the right of nature search results. The change is significant as it allows users the opportunity to adjust their search query immediately to fine-tune their results.

The change to the search behavior is currently only available on the Google.com homepage and the google results page. A more comprehensive inclusion of this technology into browser search bars as well as Google’s own browser Chrome is planned for later this year and early 2011. This does mean that not all searches in Google will have an equal experience (at least not in the short term). Mobile integration is also not currently available, even via the search engine’s homepage.

What does this mean for website owners and content creators? It could mean quite a lot if you are relying on search engines for your traffic. Previously, a user may have been searching for a particular subject matter, “web site design” for instance. This search string as a whole offers quite a few options (mainly websites hosting lists of web designers) all relevant to finding a talented individual to design a website. From the new Google homepage, you would begin to enter in the search “web” and you are shown links for webmd. Adding site and design to the search refines itself to the user’s query, but offers hosting, software and DIY solutions. Many which may distract or divert a user who previously may have completed the search and been presented with a web designer eager to have their business.

If you take this example and apply it to a large scale advertising campaign, you have several problems. The largest of which would be controlling search terms in as few descriptive characters as possible for any given category. Additionally, those competitors who may have a brand name similar to your own may have priority results where previously they had been ranked lower.

The obvious question is will Google Instant change search engine optimization? Yes, but not in a revolutionary way. Despite what some experts may be claiming, content optimization will likely make a tremendous leap forward. As users become more familiar with and learn how to refine their searches with addition of words, phrases and boolean statements, content creators will see less visitors, but a more engaged and “sticky” audience. Advertisers and brands should see a higher level of engagement and improved conversion rate. The SEO industry may see a temporary dip, but should come back as a re-invented and more targeted industry as a whole.

Google is the 400lb gorilla in the room, but not the ONLY gorilla. It’s easy to look at this monolithic presence and feel the earth tremble, but this new change is not as wide-sweeping as it may seem. First, Google does not host all search queries from their homepage. Many searches are begun on third party website, via toolbars, desktop utilities or from internet browsers themselves (10% of Google’s traffic alone is referred from browsers)1. Many industries have niche browsers. Bing, for instance, has one of the most popular platforms for health-oriented and travel searches. Yahoo is dominant in many foreign markets and with some age groups. You should look at where your traffic is coming from and how you interface with your audience before taking any reactive steps at all as a result of this new change. You may be in the fortunate position of receiving more traffic as a result of this new paradigm in search.

The market will adjust: Obviously, with any new technology, both users and marketers will find ways to use Google’s new solution as a platform and to generate traffic for the long (and short) tail of the market.