Why Google Instant will not kill SEO
January 25, 2011 2:00 PM
(Image courtesy of Sean MacEntee)We've all seen how Google has changed when it introduced its new "Instant Search" feature. Overnight, we noticed that suggestions appear as we type instead of waiting for us to hit the search button. A simple change, and one that simply makes things easier for users, right? Not exactly. The world of search engine optimisation is not happy about it - and here's why.
The concerns
With the introduction of Google's new instant search development, searchers are now able to save between two and five seconds for searches. However this has created a storm within the world of online marketing as many search engine optimization (SEO) strategists have criticized the fact that Google's new Instant Search is likely to have an adverse effect upon the way in which people conduct their search activities.
The concern of the SEO community is that people conducting searches are likely to click on smart predicted results which appear on their screen rather than having to enter their complete search word and then pressing enter. This in turn would mean people would receive search results based on Google's predicted results rather than receiving specific search results which SEO consultants have worked endlessly on trying to anticipate. Some have gone as far as saying this could be the demise of online marketing.
Insider's thoughts
What many industry experts have argued is that searchers will not see the same results when typing their queries. However Google reiterated that some searches may have slight differences but overall rankings and page displays will stay the same. SEO executive for Telegraph Media Jonny Cooper explains that 'ranking in the hallowed top 3 or 4 positions will become even more important'. His reasons behind this statement are that searches are likely to be specific leading to people not looking further than the first few results - meaning those ranked highest are likely to have a higher click-through rate.
The way forward
Comments on this topic have brought about many arguments implying that Google Instant Search is going to cause catastrophic problem for SEO consultants. However I beg to differ because with change comes new opportunities. The SEO market is likely to become ever more challenging. Yet what we could see is larger corporate companies investing more in getting their company positioned highest, leading to smaller companies being overshadowed. As explained by Google, SEO is likely to see gradual change and companies wishing to succeed are going to have to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
One future opportunity which may arise is the prospect of bidding for key letters as well as words, creating a new platform to compete in. My reason for suggesting this idea is that as you type certain letters/words into Google's search bar it immediately tries to predict your desired search. We are currently a long way from this idea being brought about but with Google continuously introducing new platforms it could be a possibility.
Final Thoughts
The question which many SEO consultants are asking is this: will Google Instant kill SEO? Having put this question to Google they replied "not at all". Google's outlook on how instant search is going to affect SEO is that optimisers may eventually have to adapt the way they work. However a key fundamental which will stay the same is the existing rankings and the way in which people are ranked. One of the key factors which many SEO consultants have spoken out about is the downfall of the long tail searches and that a lot of the larger brands may begin to spend more money on their PPC activities resulting in inflated prices for keywords. This would result in larger companies dominating rankings.
What many SEO consultants have to understand is that SEO is far from becoming extinct and that all Google have done is thrown a spanner into works. Google are currently the number one search engine in the world and until the likes of Yahoo and Bing catch up we have to play by their rules. Another note to mention is that users of Google's search engine have the option of turning Instant search off but how many people know how to do this or bother to do it?
I would like to wrap this up by saying in order be successful in any industry you have to be flexible to change. A lot of the concerns heard were consultants not liking to the change and making rash statements without proper thought. The successful SEO consultants are those who have embraced the new challenge and have thought of new techniques in optimisation.
With the introduction of Google's new instant search development, searchers are now able to save between two and five seconds for searches. However this has created a storm within the world of online marketing as many search engine optimization (SEO) strategists have criticized the fact that Google's new Instant Search is likely to have an adverse effect upon the way in which people conduct their search activities.
The concern of the SEO community is that people conducting searches are likely to click on smart predicted results which appear on their screen rather than having to enter their complete search word and then pressing enter. This in turn would mean people would receive search results based on Google's predicted results rather than receiving specific search results which SEO consultants have worked endlessly on trying to anticipate. Some have gone as far as saying this could be the demise of online marketing.
Insider's thoughts
What many industry experts have argued is that searchers will not see the same results when typing their queries. However Google reiterated that some searches may have slight differences but overall rankings and page displays will stay the same. SEO executive for Telegraph Media Jonny Cooper explains that 'ranking in the hallowed top 3 or 4 positions will become even more important'. His reasons behind this statement are that searches are likely to be specific leading to people not looking further than the first few results - meaning those ranked highest are likely to have a higher click-through rate.
The way forward
Comments on this topic have brought about many arguments implying that Google Instant Search is going to cause catastrophic problem for SEO consultants. However I beg to differ because with change comes new opportunities. The SEO market is likely to become ever more challenging. Yet what we could see is larger corporate companies investing more in getting their company positioned highest, leading to smaller companies being overshadowed. As explained by Google, SEO is likely to see gradual change and companies wishing to succeed are going to have to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
One future opportunity which may arise is the prospect of bidding for key letters as well as words, creating a new platform to compete in. My reason for suggesting this idea is that as you type certain letters/words into Google's search bar it immediately tries to predict your desired search. We are currently a long way from this idea being brought about but with Google continuously introducing new platforms it could be a possibility.
Final Thoughts
The question which many SEO consultants are asking is this: will Google Instant kill SEO? Having put this question to Google they replied "not at all". Google's outlook on how instant search is going to affect SEO is that optimisers may eventually have to adapt the way they work. However a key fundamental which will stay the same is the existing rankings and the way in which people are ranked. One of the key factors which many SEO consultants have spoken out about is the downfall of the long tail searches and that a lot of the larger brands may begin to spend more money on their PPC activities resulting in inflated prices for keywords. This would result in larger companies dominating rankings.
What many SEO consultants have to understand is that SEO is far from becoming extinct and that all Google have done is thrown a spanner into works. Google are currently the number one search engine in the world and until the likes of Yahoo and Bing catch up we have to play by their rules. Another note to mention is that users of Google's search engine have the option of turning Instant search off but how many people know how to do this or bother to do it?
I would like to wrap this up by saying in order be successful in any industry you have to be flexible to change. A lot of the concerns heard were consultants not liking to the change and making rash statements without proper thought. The successful SEO consultants are those who have embraced the new challenge and have thought of new techniques in optimisation.
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