Definition
A feature of Google’s search engine that shows search results as the keyword query is being typed.
Information
Google found out that it takes a person more than ten seconds to type a search query, hit enter, and wait for results. To try and improve on this, Google Instant Search lets the system search for results as the user types. Google claims this method will shorten time spent searching by more than 3 seconds per attempt.
Instant search is ON by default. However, it will be deactivated if the system is being used with a slow connection, as this new system will slow things further. This is because Google Instant Search is more bandwidth-intensive that the old system.
For search marketers, Google Instant has the potential to funnel more traffic towards phrases suggested by the system, and short-circuit some of the natural long-tail search activity.
see also: Digital Marketing Tools
Related Terms
view all terms in the SEO glossary or all terms in the Digital Marketing glossary
Sites
Articles
Google Instant: Fewer Changes to SEO than the Average Algo Update
SEO Moz (September 21, 2010)
Google Instant Search: The Complete User’s Guide
Search Engine Land (September 8, 2010)
