Google Instant and Adwords

With the introduction of Google Instant on September 8, 2010, one thing we have been concerned about is the effect it could have on Adwords advertising campaigns. Google Instant changes the way Google shows results and consequently, your AdWords ads.

Google Instant “predicts” your search query before you finish typing. The predictions are refined as you type in more letters and as you enter more letters, both organic and paid results, change. You don’t have to hit Return to see results. This will more than likely change the number of impressions your ads will see.

The biggest potential impact for AdWords advertisers is the number of impressions an ad will see. Before Google Instant, an impression was counted when a user typed a query and pushed “enter” or clicks “search,” causing the ads to appear on the screen. Now with Instant, Google will count an impression on your ad if the user stops typing for three seconds, hits enter in the search box or clicks on a search result or ad.

Try an experiment. Go to Google Instant and say we’re searching for “automotive recalls.” As you can see, as you type in “automotive re…” Google Instant predicts “google repair” and displays results and ads pertaining to this. As with any change in technique, there are many questions to answer. Will these changes result in more impressions and conversions through improved quality of clicks, since it helps users type queries that more directly connect them with the answers they need? The SEO team at Searched Marketing is investigating, researching and analyzing. However Google Instant changes the Advertising landscape, organic SEO will remain key to getting high visibilty and top search engine ranking.