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Google Instant may have killed your sales!


forummaker

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Posted

Within the past few days google has rolled out the new way that googlers seach. It's call "Google Instant".

If you are continually working on your sites SEO, then you have have probably already noticed this, or if you're just a googler that searches your own site using keywords. Notice anything different when you search.. while using google instant? No? Then you're not thinking like your customer does when searching for products or services. This change is huge and will impact a large number of sites. And possibly your site.

When you do a google search for your site... you're searching keywords that will populate your site in google... hoping your site ranks on the first page... possibly in the top 5 of the page. Remember when (just last week), you would search google... type in a keyword, then hit enter... it would then give you the results page. Not anymore.

Now, as you type keywords into the google search bar, you are automatically directed to the search page with possible search results from just a few keystrokes.

Let's do a little test before we get to far in.

Go to google.

Start typing in the keywords: tshirt designs

As you type, the results page changes.

Lets say you're a shopper that would possibly type into google... the keywords: tshirt designs online (the old way to google search, last week)

But with the new "Google Instant", the googler may not type: tshirt designs online

The results page already has the list of possible suggestions at the keywords: tshirt designs

The searcher simply clicks on a link on that page... and they're taken to that site.

Now the sad part is that the online store that spent years developing keywords for: tshirt designs online . Is now almost useless (for google).

 

Here's something else you may notice with the new google instant. As you type, a drop down list of possible suggestions pops up. It would do this before too.

Now, do another search for: online shirts

Look at the long list that is below the search box, and now on the new search results page:

- online t shirts

- online shirts <---- it even shows my current search. Now what sense does that make?

- online custom shirts

- online dress shirts

- online custom dress shirts

Anyhow.. the other problem is, now that they give you a list... that pushes an active website down the page and possibly off the screen.

Again, what if your site was listed number 5, 6 or 7 ... now your moved even further down the page.. off screen or even onto the next page of results.

 

Have you noticed a decrease in sales? What about visitor count? I have.

I've looked at my google analytics results, and compared last month keywords with this month... and I can tell you the results are staggering.

 

If you read why google instant was created, they state that it was created to help save time. Actually it comes down to just a few seconds per google searcher.

I have to say that I'm really happy that google is concerned about how much time I'm spending googling. How nice of them. Thanks for saving me a few seconds per search.

Anyhow....

Some things just don't add up.

- The most prominent information in a google search is the advertising results. Maybe they should change the term from "Google Search" to "Advertisers Search".

- To get to the top of the first page of google takes a lot of "know how" or money.

- Do you think that googlers may click on more ads now, because ads are so prominent? That will increase the advertisers spending to google.

- Do you think more businesses will use google ad words, just to get to the top of the page?

- Why is google concerned about saving me time?

- What's next for SEO and Google?

 

Now.. think about your site.

What keywords are you using to drive traffic to your site.

Will customers now begin typing one phrase and end up using googles suggestion?

 

If you've noticed a change in your sites traffic or have concern about the future of SEO... I would love to hear any feedback.

Thanks.

Concerned Online Store Owner

That "Can" you're about to open... has worms!

Don't say I didn't worn ya.

n. pl. cans of worms Informal - A source of unforeseen and troublesome complexity.

Posted

I tried what you recommended with our keywords, and our site didn't come up at all. Usually we are at the top of the list. Do you have any suggestions?

Posted

Thanks for the reply.

Again, I think we're going to start seeing a lot of this from store owners.

I did a test on a few keywords to try and jump to the top of the list for my site.

Try this:

Start typing your normal keywords into google.

Notice the recommended list of keywords.

Focus on the first keyword that google recommends in the list, that best suits your site.

Do you think that your customers would click on the recommended keyword? If so, use that keyword as the test keyword.

Now, incorporate that keyword on your main page of your site. ie. Online dress shirts can be found here!

Also, always make the keyword a link to a category or product matching the keyword used.

You'll also want to add that keyword to your "DEFAULT_META_DESCRIPTION".

 

Again, this is a test. Give it a few days and search your site again with the test keyword and see where you come up.

I have some other ideas, but I'll post them as we go.

 

Also, I'm no SEO expert. I know just enough to get by. The things that I've been doing to my site for SEO have been working very good.

But, they are ideas and advice that I've taken over the years.

I'm looking forward to hearing from more knowledgeable SEO'ers on this subject.

Thanks.

That "Can" you're about to open... has worms!

Don't say I didn't worn ya.

n. pl. cans of worms Informal - A source of unforeseen and troublesome complexity.

Posted

My website is not yet affected.

 

Still being shown on top when I google for "online camera shop" or "camera shop" or "Malaysia camera shop".

Best regards,

Koh Kho King

Posted

Type in 'B' and up comes 'Bank of America'. Type in 'W' and up comes 'Walmart'. Is that evil or what? Also, When I type in 'S' up comes stuff related to Seattle, where I live, and then 'Starbucks'. If you lived in San Francisco, would you get different results? I didn't ask for a search related to Seattle, yet that what's Google decided I wanted. This sucks.

Oscommerce site:

 

 

OSC to CSS, http://addons.oscommerce.com/info/7263 -Mail Manager, http://addons.oscommerce.com/info/8120

Posted

My website is not yet affected.

 

Still being shown on top when I google for "online camera shop" or "camera shop" or "Malaysia camera shop".

 

 

Your search result will vary depending on where you search from. ie. city, state, country.

 

It's obvious that when you start to type in keywords... google lists keywords and search results from the top searched phrases.

ie. type the letter w... that will result WEATHER... and WALMART.

 

Lets say you would normally search a video... "best videos on the internet"

Give it a try.

Start typing: best videos on the

You'll see that google will suggest, along with the results page:

- best videos on the web

- best videos on the internet

- the best videos on the internet

 

As you can see googles first recommendation is "best videos on the web"

Hmm... I might just click that one first... because google suggested it. When I would have possibly searched: "best videos on the internet" before.

Well that sucks for the guy who spent all that time optimizing his site for "best videos on the internet", google thinks that isn't as good as "best videos on the web".

Still not sure how Google Instant is going to effect your site....? Think about it.

That "Can" you're about to open... has worms!

Don't say I didn't worn ya.

n. pl. cans of worms Informal - A source of unforeseen and troublesome complexity.

Posted

Hi forummaker,

 

You have a good point there, but I think with this new "suggestions" from Google, it actually makes optimisation of keywords for our website better and easier, no?

 

In the past, we do not know what keywords are the best, or what keywords people use to google around. What we did was just guessing and experimenting.

 

Now with this "suggestions" from Google, we can know exactly what Google think is the best, and we can implement these keywords to our website so to make Google rank us higher.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

Best regards,

Koh Kho King

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