Google Instant: Major Change for SEO

Google Instant: How SEO is Affected Presenters: Travis Low Kipp Bodnar Director, Search Marketing Manager, Inbound Marketing WebMarketing123 HubSpot @TravisLowSEO @Kbodnar32

Topics Covered 1) SEO Overview 2) Google Instant – What Has Changed 3) Implications Moving Forward 4) Key Takeaways

Where Searchers Click Source: “iProspect Blended Search Results Study” by JupiterResearch, 2008

SEO Fundamentals: The 6 Pillars Keywords Site Content Content Silos Meta Content Inbound Links URL’s

Searchers Don’t Need “Enter”

Instant Did Not Include Algorithm Changes

“Google is now taking a much more active role in leading searchers to not just the answer, but also the question itself.” – Search Engine Watch, http://searchenginewatch.com/3641319

What is still going to change? User Behavior • Query construction patterns • Click patterns • Page-scanning behavior

Mobile Later This Year

Long-Tail Vs. Short-Tail

Short-Tail/Headmatch “First to show up as predicted query” “First page rankings even more important now”

Long-Tail “Won’t be first results people see” “Searchers will better understand how to modify queries and can easily get more specific with long-tail phrases and auto- complete suggestions”

Short-Tail vs. Long-Tail Keywords # of Traffic-Driving Keywords 612,358 617,296 9/8 - 9/14 (Week Keywords Keywords After Google 49.80% 50.20% Instant) 9/1 - 9/7 (Week Before Google Instant)

SEO/Organic Search Implications • No change to organic ranking algorithm • More important to rank above the fold for more general terms • Optimize for broader, more general headmatch terms • Focus on Title/Meta Description • Grab searchers’ attention and increase click-through rate • Google’s auto-complete suggestions will get even more search volume

PPC/Paid Search Implications Impressions defined in 3 ways: 1. User begins a search query and clicks anywhere on page 2. User chooses a particular query by clicking search button, hitting enter, or selecting an auto- complete suggestion 3. User stops typing and results are displayed for minimum of 3 seconds

PPC/Paid Search Implications Increase in Impressions means… • Potential decrease in click-through rate (but not necessarily clicks) • Quality of clicks will increase as users learn to search using terms that best connect them with the answers that they need

PPC/Paid Search Implications Other Implications: • A rise in CPC for the head terms that auto-complete • As Advertisers get more savvy, competition for ads for these terms will increase the CPC • Because of the instant search drop-down box, ads in lower positions get pushed below the fold • Will increase CPC and competition for top positions • As Searchers get lazy, long tail keywords will see less impressions • But the long tail keywords that receive clicks will be a more relevant audience

Key Takeaways

“Google Instant makes no change to ranking algorithm, but significantly affects user experience” ,

“Too early to tell exactly how user behavior will change, but first page rankings and auto- complete suggestions now more important”

“Impressions for headmatch terms will increase, but quality of search terms will improve over time as users are given more long-tail suggestions”

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Google Instant: Major Change for SEO

by HubSpot All-in-one Marketing Software on Sep 23, 2010

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