The search leader has genuinely advanced Internet search if not rewritten the rules. But what of searches from the browser? 
 
 I've been kicking the tires with Google Instant search, and so far I think it's an improvement. 
 
 The feature, announced Wednesday at a Google search event, had been known as streaming search since it was first noticed in the wild two weeks ago. Sometimes after a short pause, it retrieves results based on what you've typed as you type it, changing those results live as you add to the query. 
 
 It's like Google's search suggest feature, which offers various ways to complete your search query--but on steroids. Google argues that Instant lets people complete their searches faster, and that might well be true, but here's how I found it most powerful: I could continuously refine my search results as I went. Instead of having to search, check the results, tweak the search, check again, and so on, I could fiddle with the search terms as I went. 
 
 I found Google Instant intuitive to use and quickly grew accustomed to not having to type the Enter key at the end to initiate my search; often my typing would trail off just about the time that the query I wanted was autocompleted in gray letters with corresponding search results below. Indeed, I got in the habit of specifically avoiding hitting Enter so my search would remain live. 
 
 Search Instant shows search results live as you type. (Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland) 
 
 As is typical with the Internet at large and search specifically, though, the service works best when you're not straying far from the beaten path. Google Instant tends to nudge you where others have been before. That's handy much of the time, though it might amplify the Internet's encouragement of groupthink. 
 
 Here's an example of how Google Instant works. I typed "ex" and Expedia appeared as the top result nearly instantly. "Exch" produced a search suggestion of "exchange rates" and offered a Google calculator tool and a universal currency converter site. 
 
 It then stayed about the same until I got to "exchange rates d," when it offered "exchange rates dollar," which is what I wanted, and hitting the Tab key filled that in. At the same time, the results changed again. "Exchange rates dollar to p" suggested a completion of peso and showed the exchange rate in the search results; "exchange rates dollar to po" got to my hoped-for results, "exchange rates dollar to pound," and showed the answer at the top of the search results. 
 
 It can be distracting to have the lower part of the screen change as you type long queries, but overall, I think it's an improvement, and really, it's not that distracting if you're concentrating on typing. And even though nothing has changed compared to search suggest, you do get a more direct understanding that Google is listening to your every keystroke. 
 
 Google says Google Instant is faster. (Credit: Google) 
 
 I ran into some things I found unpleasant. Using the Backspace key to refine searches sometimes, but not usually, seemed to lag. A few times there was a long wait while the search results faded nearly to white after I'd changed my search query. And even though I have a broadband connection, the service switched off on me once because of what it said was a slow connection. A drop-down box to the right of the search box switched it on again, but apparently Google Instant is sensitive to network latencies. 
 
 Of course, search ads appear also, making sure Google won't go out of business from this change. And there's a built-in "I'm feeling lucky" option for the search results that appear in the suggestions drop-down. 
 
 There are mysteries about how Google Instant works. For example, when I typed "slr purhas," the top result was Google offering that perhaps I meant "slr purchase," which is indeed where I was headed. But there was no offer to complete the search in the search bar itself, unlike with what happened trying "ipad pu" and "lawn mower pur," in which case Google inferred what I wanted and added the gray text to the search box. 
 
 But here's a funny thing: I actually am not sure how much I'll use it right now, because the vast majority of my searches take place directly from the browser (Ctrl-L/Cmd-L to get to the address bar in Chrome, and Ctrl-K/Cmd-K to get to the search bar in Firefox). Those services today offer search suggestions, but of course not Google Instant results. I'll be trying Google Instant more, but I'm not convinced I'll be going to the trouble of firing up a new search page to do so. 
 
 Overall, I'm impressed, not least because this obviously takes a lot of server horsepower and network bandwidth. It is for me an improvement, though not a revolution, in search. 
 
 I do wonder what's coming next. One possibility would be to show hybrid search results based on several of the top autocomplete options, not just the top one. Clearly Google isn't done tuning its primary profit engine. ||||| Note: By submitting this form, you agree to Third Door Media's terms . We respect your privacy . 
 
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 Google Instant promises to change the way people search. Speaking at today’s announcement, Google’s Marissa Mayer called it a “fundamental shift in search.” As with any big Google announcement, there are questions: Who can use Google Instant? Can I opt out or turn off Google Instant? Why am I not seeing it when I do a Google search? 
 
 Answers to those questions and more are below, in our Google Instant User’s Guide. 
 
 What Is Google Instant? 
 
 Google Instant is a feature that predicts what you’re searching for and shows results as you type. It uses Google’s autocomplete technology to show predicted search terms in a drop-down box, and begins to display search results below the drop-down. 
 
 As you continue to type, both the predicted queries and the search results change. 
 
 Google says there are three benefits to using Instant: faster searches (it saves 2-5 seconds per search according to Google research), smarter predictions that help guide user searches, and instant results that let the searcher see results without clicking a search button or pressing enter. 
 
 Where & When Is Google Instant Available? 
 
 Google Instant only works for searchers in the US or who are logged in to a Google account in selected countries outside the US: 
 
 Google Instant is starting to roll-out to users on Google domains in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia who use the following browsers: Chrome v5/6, Firefox v3, Safari v5 for Mac and Internet Explorer v8. 
 
 If you don’t yet see it, you can try enabling it via this special URL: 
 
 Signing in to Google may also help enable it faster, too. 
 
 Additionally, it only functions on searches from the Google home page or from the search box at the top of a Google search results page. It doesn’t work 
 
 from your browser’s search box 
 
 from the Google Toolbar 
 
 from iGoogle 
 
 from other places that access a Google search 
 
 if you’ve previously disabled Google’s autocomplete feature 
 
 if you’re using Google SSL search 
 
 if you’ve disabled Instant (more below on this) 
 
 Google also says Instant will be automatically disabled when they can detect that a searcher has a slow internet connection. 
 
 Google Instant is not available yet for mobile searches, although Google promises that this is coming soon. 
 
 How To Disable Google Instant 
 
 Unlike some of its product/feature launches, Google has already built in a way to turn off Google Instant. In fact, they’ve built in two ways: 
 
 1.) There’s a small “Instant is on” link to the right of the search box on a search results page. You can click that link to toggle between “on” and “off.” 
 
 2.) On your search preferences page, there’s a new option at the bottom for Google Instant. 
 
 How Google Instant Works 
 
 Google Instant is localized. The predictions and search results that Google Instant displays will change depending on where Google thinks you’re located. In my case, if I begin to search for “hotels,” Google recognizes that I’m based in Washington state. The predicted queries are all state-focused, and even the second organic result is for a Seattle hotel. 
 
 Google Instant is personalized. As you can see from the above, that organic search result for Seattle’s Hotel Monaco is a result I’ve visited several times in the past. During today’s announcement, Mayer confirmed that web history and personalized results will flow into Google Instant. 
 
 Not Safe For Work content is filtered. Queries that may be considered offensive or lewd don’t work in Google Instant. In these cases, Google stops showing search predictions and search results, and instead displays a “Press Enter to search” message below the search box. 
 
 As you might imagine, there are some inconsistencies with how this aspect has been implemented, and no doubt Google will continue to tweak what it considers to be (in)appropriate for inclusion in Google Instant. 
 
 Does Google Instant “Kill SEO” or Impact Rankings? 
 
 In my opinion: no chance. As long as humans use search engines (like Google) to look for information online, that content will need to be optimized. A well-rounded approach to content development and optimization should actually benefit from Google Instant. More than SEO, it should impact how users search and find valuable information and/or the products and services they’re seeking. Good SEOs will adapt to any changes in searcher behavior that Google Instant brings about. 
 
 As for search rankings, Google specifically says that nothing’s changed: 
 
 The basics of Google search are the same, including how results are ranked and how Google determines relevant results. 
 
 Google Instant may also lead to higher impressions (in Google Webmaster Tools) for your web pages as they move in and out of Google’s search results as people type. For example, my U2 site may appear in the search results as a person types “u2 new” (as in “news” or “new album”), but it will disappear if that query becomes “u2 new zealand concerts.” Google has just published an explanation of how impressions will be counted with Google Instant: 
 
 the traditional count method – when your site is displayed in search results after a completed search 
 
 if the user begins to search and then clicks any link on the search results page, including an ad or “related search” suggestion 
 
 if the user stops typing and the search results appear for at least three seconds 
 
 Does Google Instant Ruin My PPC Ads? 
 
 As you can see from the screenshots above, targeted pay-per-click ads continue to show as they normally would. You might even notice on the “hotels” screenshot above that Google Instant showed a locally-targeted ad for a hotel in Spokane. Google says ads are now being shown for predicted queries, and the ads will change as searchers continue to type. 
 
 Google says ad impressions will only count in three situations (much like the organic impressions listed above): 
 
 the user clicks anywhere on the page after beginning to type a search query 
 
 the user chooses one of the predicted queries from Google Instant 
 
 the user stops typing and search results are shown for at least three seconds 
 
 For more on Google Instant and paid search, see our article, Will Google Instant Kill The Long Tail? Also, this AdWords help page may answer your questions about Google Instant. 
 
 Final Thoughts 
 
 What remains to be seen is how Google users will respond to Instant. And how many will adopt it — i.e., don’t a lot of people search right from their browser search box or from the Google Toolbar? 
 
 I’m somewhat suspicious of the claim that it speeds up searches; it seems to me that many users may actually be slowed down as they stop to read and consider all of the predicted queries and search results that are now being displayed automatically. On the other hand, I do think that it may train some users to be smarter searchers. 
 
 What are your thoughts on Google Instant? Comments are open. ||||| Google really did just change the game in search today with the introduction of Google Instant. While Google execs at today’s event emphasized how much faster it makes search, Google Instant is really about showing you more search results. And this will have very interesting implications for consumers expectations of what they want from search, search market share, and how sites try to game search through SEO tactics. 
 
 Google Instant turns search into a realtime stream of results which flow onto your screen as you type your query. With each letter you type, a whole new set of results flash by. This is important for several reasons. First and foremost, you will now see many more search results than you would have otherwise. Most people never click through to the second page of search results. If it is not in the first ten blue links (or really the first five or six), it might as well not exist for most people. With Google Instant search, instead of people seeing only ten results, they may now see 50 or 100 (depending on how many letters they type and how far they get through each search query). They also potentially get to see more ads, as those change along with the results. 
 
 Google just found a way to jack up the number of search results you see by doing nothing more than type in a word or two like you always do. Most people can scan results visually and can absorb a lot more information if it is streamed to them in this fashion rather than having to manually click through to see more results. If people get used to this, it will put pressure on Bing and other search engines to quickly follow suit. People go to the search engines whether they can find things more quickly. (Google Instant is already turned on for some people and will roll out throughout the day. If you go to Google’s main search page you can see how it works.) 
 
 Which brings us to the whole issue of search market share. Currently, market research firms such as comScore count search market share by the number of queries and search results each engine delivers. Search engines like Yahoo and Bing have been juicing these numbers recently by adding search results to other parts of their sites such as slideshows and news. But now how do you count a query when each letter brings up different results. Google dominates search market share as it is currently measured, and now it just changed the game. Counting queries is now completely outdated. 
 
 SEO (Search engine optimization) will change as well. Sites will need to optimize for particular letter combinations, not just entire keywords. It will be interesting to see whether results get spammed or if Google will gain the upperhand in this constant cat and mouse game.
– Google unveiled its upgraded search function today called Google Instant, which refines searches as you type by predicting what you're looking for. More details at this "user's guide" from Search Engine Land, or see the video in the gallery for a demo. Early reaction: Better, but not a world-changer: The best part, writes Stephen Shankland at CNET, is that "I could continuously refine my search results as I went. Instead of having to search, check the results, tweak the search, check again, and so on, I could fiddle with the search terms as I went. ... It is for me an improvement, though not a revolution, in search." It's about volume, not speed: "Google just found a way to jack up the number of search results you see by doing nothing more than type in a word or two like you always do," writes Erick Schonfeld at TechCrunch. "Most people can scan results visually and can absorb a lot more information if it is streamed to them in this fashion rather than having to manually click through to see more results. If people get used to this, it will put pressure on Bing and other search engines to quickly follow suit."