You must have noticed when you type a keyword in Google search engine to search; Google offers real time keyword suggestions based on the text you have already typed. For example if you type “search”, these are the suggestions it may come up with – “search engines”, “search engine optimization”, “search and destroy”, “search people” etc.
This feature is also known as Google Suggest. More information is available here:
http://labs.google.com/suggestfaq.html
Prior to this, Google used to offer keyword suggestion in real time in their toolbar search.
But now they have included this in their normal search as well.
How can it help searchers?
You can get variations of the word you are typing and since its drop down you can select the keyword through your mouse pointer and Google will perform a search for that keyword.
Secondly it may give you a better idea of what you are looking for. It comes in-handy when you want to search for something but just can’t understand what to type beyond one word. Google suggest can help you with their suggestions.
It also tells how many results are there for that keyword in their database. Though I don’t think telling people the total number of results for a keyword is of much help.
How can it help Google?
Well it will help Google more than you can think. Since searchers will get keyword suggestions, it is more likely that they will find what they are looking for in their first or second search attempt.
This will result in the following:
- The quality of the keyword used to search will improve.
- The searchers will get exactly what they want fast so it is more likely that they will return to Google for more searches in future.
- Hence Google will retain the customer base they have around the world.
Kudos to Google for being a very innovative search engine.
Note that Yahoo also offers keyword suggestions, and Live search offers “Related searches” keyword suggestions in the top right corner in the result screen.
With both Google and Yahoo you can switch off the keyword suggestions.
