Google Instant Previews – A Preview
So Google Instant Previews is Available
What does this mean?
After a quick look over at The Google Blog they give you the low-down on this latest development in Google searching.
The basic premise seems to be the user having the ability to view a snapshot of a site which appears in their search results (on the SERPs). This isn’t instant – you have to click the little magnifying glass to activate this feature. After which when you hover over other results of your search you get a preview on the right hand side… like so:
They also highlight for you the text from the site that may match what you’re looking for, because Google truly know what’s in your mind when you search.
So let’s consider some possible implications of this but first an important point:-
It still seems to be a feature for only logged in Google Account holders to activate
This means not everyone will have it and not all logged-in Google users will necessarily have it turned on. That is not to disregard it but to see the situation from all angles.
Your Visitor Rate May Go Down
As people are able to preview your website, they may not click like they used to. Google Previews helps people feel more able to discern for themselves the relevancy of your site appearing in their results. This means that visitors who would otherwise have clicked because they did not know whether your result was relevant enough may not visit now.
Of course on the flip side, if your site is very attractive, then you could get visitors who otherwise wouldn’t have done based solely on your TITLE tag and META description.
Your Conversion Rate May Increase
Conversions, whether based on enquiries, e-mails, telephone calls or sales, may possibly increase. If the aim of instant is to get more relevant visitors to the right content, then this may increase the chance of your conversion rate increasing. At the end of the day, 1000 visitors is not a good thing if no-one gets in touch or buys a product. But if you drive 100 visitors, of which 50 place an order because they’re already part- convinced in their own mind that your site is pretty close, if not precisely, what they want.
I say conversion rates MAY increase simply because people may search not knowing fully what they want with or without a site preview. But there’s certainly no harm in being prepared for lower visitors but higher conversions.
Your Website Needs to Look Good
I’m pleased to say that we’re starting on revamping our branding and website. Not that I don’t like ours currently, because I do. But with Previews, people can see roughly what your site looks like and an attractive website will attract more visitors.
Your Content Must Accurately Reflect Your Keyword Strategy
I can’t imagine this wouldn’t be the case, but as Google now thinks it can lift the correct content out of your website, ensure that your targeted words are used, in-context, and in non-header text, as it seems to be paragraph text that Previews is lifting. So review that content!
And finally for now…
Don’t Stress Out
Google Instant Previews can be turned off, the same as Google Instant and I must stress you must choose to activate the feature, at present. People may get excited over this and start to fret, but at the end of the day if you are assured of your branding and your marketing, can present a good business image and have an effective SEO strategy, then don’t worry about this. If you’re always ‘dressed to impress’ and are targeting the right markets and the right keywords then this feature is only likely to drive more of the right kind of visitor to your site. Which is surely what SEO is all about isn’t it?
And if you’re not yet sorted on branding, keyword strategy and your website is looking a bit outdated and shabby, then now is a good time to sort out your Web Design and present a good image.
We don’t know if/when Google Instant and Google Instant Previews will become mainstream for non-logged-in searchers, but they will want to roll it out sometime and so now is a good time to prepare.
Try It Out
If you have a website or run websites (which if you’re reading this, there is a good chance you do) then you can try it out Here. Always be aware of your competitors, tweak your content accordingly, get your strategy right and revamp your website.
Oh, and remember, there are also other search engines. Knowing about Google features is important, but seeing the bigger picture means you optimise your site to the best you can for the features, but don’t obsess over them.
And if this becomes big, then no doubt I will have revisions to this article to make!
If you would like to comment, have feedback or corrections to give do e-mail me at design [at] moxby dot org dot uk and I will credit any revisions. I had to disable comments due to SPAM.
