Google is known for providing its
users with the most relevant information in expedient fashion. Despite this,
the people behind the world’s most used search engine have opted to eliminate
one of its speediest features.
On July 26, Search Engine Land broke
the news that Google would effectively be ending the implementation of the
Instant search feature – which has been a core component of the site since 2010
– on desktop computers later that day.
The search element was a
desktop-exclusive trait that automatically populated search results as users
typed in their query. Users always had the option to turn this feature off, but
now it simply exists in the annals of history.
Before you fly into a tizzy thinking
that the tech giant is extinguishing the Autofill feature of its engine, it is
important to note that Autofill and Google Instant are two different things.
From this point on, users will
continue to see search suggestions in the drop down. What goes away is the
real-time generation of results as a query is typed.
The anticipatory component of the
site was initially enacted under Marissa Mayer’s tenure at the organization;
she proceeded to laud Instant as a “. . . fundamental shift in search,”
claiming in a report from Wired that it could potentially save the planet 3.5
billion seconds – or 11 hours every second – per day.
The pivotal shift the company made
nearly seven years ago was a major revision in the way that users experienced
search and sought information.
The feature, which was largely aimed
at slow typists, began to become exponentially more useless, however, as people
grew to be more technically literate; a natural byproduct of Smartphone
technology permeating modern society.
Fast forward to the current day and
well over 50 percent of all search queries take place on a mobile device; a
fact that has been widely acknowledged since the shift occurred in 2015.
This chasm only continues to grow as
voice search technology comes to prominence. Today, 27 percent of U.S.
Smartphone users leverage voice search once a week or more. Furthermore, voice
search now drives more than 20 percent of all queries presented through the
Google application.
Because of this fundamental
transition in the way people search, Google has seen fit to pull the plug on
Google Instant as a means to create a continually unified and cohesive
experience with the mobile version of the site.
In a statement to Search Engine
Land, a Google spokesperson stated:
“We launched Google Instant back in
2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly
as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then,
many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and
interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to
remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and
more fluid on all devices.”
Instant search just doesn’t make
sense on mobile devices; and mobile is where the immediate future of search
resides. If anything, this feature would only disrupt the individual and create
a poor user experience. With the rise and continual proliferation of
Smartphones, voice search, and voice command, the component has become truly
obsolete.
All of this brings us to the big
question of the day: How does this effect business owners?
Small Businesses and Instant Search
I highly doubt that many will be
mourning the loss of Google Instant.
Don’t misconstrue my words; there is
a large thread at Google Webmaster Help on the topic but the idiosyncratic outrage
that typically accompanies core changes to Google’s platform is largely absent.
It seems that most people either
haven’t noticed it’s gone (probably because they are more accustomed to the
mobile experience) or just don’t care.
Despite the fact that there isn’t a
massive outcry over the incident, it is nonetheless a major change for Google.
As far as entrepreneurs are
concerned, however, this change doesn’t really affect small business owners in
a significant way; positively or negatively.
The only two instances where
businesses might be marginally impacted is during the incredibly rare instance
that someone stumbles upon your site while typing in a different query or when
a brand elects to leverage the feature for keyword research.
There are, however, much more
effective alternatives to conducting keyword research, so it’s no major loss.
What this does highlight is Google’s
continued march toward mobile-first everything. That is the lesson that
business owners should take from this transition.
For those who are keeping score,
Google has clearly displayed to webmasters everywhere that the company is
keenly aware that desktop is slowly going the way of the dinosaurs.
Over the past several years, Google
has enacted the Accelerated Mobile Pages Project, the Mobilegeddon algorithm
change, it’s mobile-first indexing experiment, and a slew of other
mobile-focused updates and initiatives.
This increased “unification” is only
another example that mobile is the future of online search and experiences.
This means that your brand needs to
focus its efforts in this realm above all others.
Not prioritizing your site’s mobile
experience over its desktop counterpart is like betting that CDs are due to
make a major comeback any time now.
The bottom line is that mobile is
the future of virtually all online interactions, Unless your company embraces
that transition wholeheartedly, it will fall victim to progress as many others
have before.
Are you saddened by the passing of
Google Instant? Or is this (oddly) a major change to Google that you feel
rather neutral to?
