Comments on: How Will Google Instant Affect Local Search?

By: SEO Web Design Blog: Search engine optimization, web design, and webmaster tips

SEO Web Design Blog: Search engine optimization, web design, and webmaster tips — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:25:56 +0000

Google Instant Search: Good or Bad?…

Google’s up to more tricks!! On September 8, 2010, Google released yet another application that will effect how the world searches for internet information. Play the short video below to learn about it, try it out for yourself, and then come back…

By: Andrew Huskinson

Andrew Huskinson — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 09:58:49 +0000

Hi,

Where does google get the suggestions from the Categories or the Business Name?

I have complained about the Lucky 1 Pack as it is unfair and uncompetitive as it does not have a more.. option.

google is using the business name mainly to trigger the 1 Pack.

I have been recommending ‘Einstein Cleaners Boston’ as currently the optimum NEW business name to:
Reduce merge problems – ‘Einstein’ to be unique across local listings
Say on the tin what you do and your prime search phrase – ‘Cleaners’
and where you are – ‘Boston’ which is really needed for such a business located on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ working on the other.
And increase the chances of a 1 Pack where it seems you need to have the category in your name, and where a business 10 miles away called just the category shows you have to add your location to your business name to fairly show for a search with your location in it.

I search on the ‘category’ first from my Chrome browser bar and then my Post Code.

Will google use the businesses choice of categories in the Maps index to drive the drop down list?

Is my recommended name now the optimum?

Cheers. Andrew.

By: MiriamEllis

MiriamEllis — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:00:43 +0000

Hi Mike,
As I just commented, I’ve been sick and actually was off the computer for a couple of days. I came back and search box was behaving insanely – thought I was hallucinating! I’m just catching up with what happened, but like David said, above, when I realized it was not my imagination causing words to fly about as I typed, I found it annoying. But, change is always difficult. Thanks for covering this for anyone who has been out of the loop for a few days.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:32:19 +0000

@Mike thanks for confirming that. A client swears blind that he had it for one day on goog dotca but I’ve tried every way from Sunday and can’t replicate it.
@ Stever – what’s interesting is that it works for me (dotcom) on one machine but not another. The machine it works on is running the US English version of firefox and the machine with UK english doesn’t show it at all.

Sorry for the reply lag, forgot to check the notify box.

By: Eve

Eve — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:44:02 +0000

As a small business, I am afraid it will hurt us because it seems it circumvents the long-tail searches that might get to us since we can’t compete with popular keywords. That said, as a user, I’d prefer if words weren’t put in my mouth by Google or anyone for that matter… its a convenience that will make my fingers lazy!

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:16:34 +0000

It seems to me that if a site is truly optimized for long tail and short tail keywords, in addition to having a broad array of reviews, news, etc out in the clouds, the right results will still show at the top ultimately. ie despite interface changes Google still wants the most relevant results to show at the top.

I just tried several short and long tail searches for a few different sites and I didn’t think the results truly different than they were before? If I search for a given service I need locally, as I type the keyword/phrase first I as usual see a bunch of national/non-local results that encourage me to narrow my search with better geographical data. In the end I get the same results as before.

The main difference I see is that the 7-pack seems to be lower for most results until I get to the end — thereby increasing the importance of organic search — and I agree the paid ads tend to be more prominent visually as I go through the search process.

By: Stever

Stever — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:46:31 +0000

@Wayne

I can’t get it on google.ca or google.com from my Canadian IP address. The original press release said it would be available first in the US and a few European countries. Who knows when it comes to Canada?

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:02:05 +0000

@Wayne I tried the command line to induce it and it didn’t work…

@Sebastian
Great points

By: Predicting Google Instant’s Impact on Local

Predicting Google Instant’s Impact on Local — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:56:07 +0000

[...] has written a thoughtful post about the range of implications from Instant. And Mike Blumenthal weighed in quickly on how Instant may impact [...]

By: Wayne

Wayne — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:12:23 +0000

Is anyone seeing it on google.ca yet?