How Much will Google Instant Really Impact Search - Watch This Space

Google Instant will have massive implications for the way search engine optimisation firms (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) services in the UK manage marketing and website promotion.

The new search enhancement was unveiled with much fanfare earlier this week by Google's head of search Marissa Mayer at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, promising "a fundamental shift" in internet browsing.

At its most basic level, Google Instant enables searchers to see results faster - between two and five seconds per query, claims the internet giant - by refining visible search results with each keystroke entered into the search box.

Smart Insight's Dave Chaffey points out that in addition to the significant improvements for internet users, the implications for PPC and SEO are also enormous, such as requiring keyword research to be conducted "one character at a time".

Dan Friedman, of Google's Inside Adwords team, points out in a blog post that Google Instant will change the way the search engine thinks about impressions. He explains that an impression will now be counted "if a user takes an action to choose a query (for example, presses the Enter key or clicks the Search button), clicks a link on the results page, or stops typing for three or more seconds".

Mr Chaffer believes that the impact on PPC advertising will be most significant, urging companies with heavy investments in this form of marketing to work closely with a PPC company in the UK to establish how it may affect strategy.

In terms of SEO, he suggests that title and meta-descriptions will become even more central to establishing search engine results page position, with the need to attract the attention of users even more important than in the past.

Sources:
http://www.google.com/instant/#utm_campaign=launch&utm_medium=van&utm_source=instant
http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/09/google-instant-more-innovative-approach.html