27 August 2008

How Google Suggest will affect search

Earlier this week we reported on Google Suggest, the latest search feature from the leading search engine. How will it affect what people search for and what sites they find?

Google Suggest provides a user with suggestions while they type into the search box. This sort of functionality has been available on other search engines for some time and has been available to some extent on Google as well. From this week however, it will be switched on as the default on all Google searches and will affect both the way people search and what keywords they use. This will have big implications for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns.

Suggesting keywords will probably result in fewer search terms being used. This will likely adversely affect longer terms (long tail keywords) and shorter, 1-2 word terms, focusing instead on a smaller number of "suggested" terms. This will mean the number of competitive terms, where large amounts of traffic can be sourced, will drop.

This decrease in the number of high volume keywords may affect both brand terms and non-brand terms. As previously mentioned, long tail terms (4 or more words) will likely produce less traffic than before - and for some sites, this could make piggybacking on other company's brand terms a more attractive proposition.

Naturally, this focus on certain keywords will have an effect on Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns. As PPC campaign managers start to bid on suggested keywords, volumes will increase and push the cost of these keywords up. However, Google didn't get where it is today by trying to keep prices down. By having customers competing on a smaller number of keywords, the prices for those keywords will inevitably increase. This will most likely affect advertisers with smaller budgets or profit margins.

The number of spelling errors will drop; and whilst this is great for users, it will affect traffic for sites who aim to capitalise on misspelled words through SEO and PPC campaigns. Additionally, as Google will make suggestions based on terms that best satisfy an algorithm, it won't be long before someone tries to manipulate the terms that appear on Google Suggest to their own advantage.

As with normal search results, Google will likely tweak the algorithm over time. Small changes could, after all, yield drastic results in terms of site traffic. For instance, changing the algorithm to place more weight on brand term suggestions or localised term suggestions could have a major impact on a site's traffic. So, if your main keyword was "Green Cheese" and Google started to suggest "Green Cheese in London" and "Green Cheese in Scotland" - two terms that you aren't optimised for - this could take a big chunk out of the number of visitors to your site.

The extent to which Suggest will affect how people use Google is still open to debate. One theory is that it will be used predominantly by less-experienced or older searchers, whilst the Google generation is less likely to change their current searching habits. One thing is certain, however: the companies who will benefit from these changes are the ones who are most aware and take proactive steps to adapt. Search doesn't stand still for long and it pays to stay ahead of changes.