Optimizing for Google Instant

Has Google Instant affected the way you use the world's most popular search engine?

Since Google Instant was unveiled last September we've had our own ideas about how this latest feature would impact long-tail search queries. Now that we have several months of data to analyze, we thought it was time to see how this feature was affecting our clients' search traffic.

Below you'll see top keyword data stacked up against each other from 6 months before Google Instant and 6 months after. The results are rather astounding. This site's top key term 'Breckenridge Colorado' is up 154.82% after Instant's release. What this tells us is that people are starting to type, finding relevant results, and clicking on them. This notion also adds value to the idea that solid Meta descriptions and Title tags are important. While these keywords and content are ranking the site well in search results, it is ultimately the title and description of the data in the results which make users follow links. As we all know, impressions are one thing, solid traffic numbers are another.

So, how do I optimize my keywords by keystroke?

The best way to perform this type of optimization is to create a list of short keywords which you think are important for your site and simply perform some searches with those terms.

The process here is important; start typing your query from the list of short keywords we compiled earlier, pausing after each keystroke and comparing the results you see below and the AutoComplete term you are given in the search box.

When you are reviewing the search results pay attention to where your site ranks. Do you rank where you want to for the term in the AutoComplete field? If not, it might be time to build out some new content associated with that keyword.

Using this method of advanced keyword research is also a great way to discover common terms which are being searched in Google. By making notes on the terms which show in the AutoComplete field you can build out content as well as internal and external links based on these key words and start driving more traffic!

Ethan T. Hinson
SEM Technician