By now you should be at least familiar with Google Instant, a new search feature on Google. As users type in search terms, Instant predicts what the user is searching and instantly refreshes the SERPs.
Google Instant and Webmaster Tools
You’ve probably noticed an increase in page impressions lately. It makes sense that Google Instant is going to impact your page impressions. During the course of one search, SERPs update multiple times. If your pages appear for multiple “predictions” there will be an increase in impressions.
How Google Instant Measures Page Impressions
Before Instant Search was offered, page impressions occurred when the user typed in a word/phrase and clicked the Search button. With Google Instant, SERPs are updated as a person types. When someone pauses on a new results page for three seconds, that counts as an impression.
According to Google Engineer, Ben Gnomes, the average search query is 20 letters long and since Instant is basically search by character, not by word, this could result in a very noticeable increase in page impressions. It all depends on how fast someone types and if they pause for three seconds.
Mike Corso says
Just heard (on a podcast this morning) that Google reports a very slight increase in long tail searches since launching Google Instant (1/2 of 1%).
Mike Corso
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Jerry West says
Hey Mike,
There have been a lot of reports circulating around about what Google Instant has done and there has been some good debates going on. What I would suggest instead is look at your own web stats. Is there a difference in how people are finding you? All things equal, are the same “money terms” still bringing you the traffic? According to my test domains the answer is “yes”.
I am seeing no differences and that includes long tail phrases. Yes, there are some which are getting more traffic, but in looking at the big picture, everything is as it has been. In other words, a lot of people are making noise about nothing.
waheed says
is can i do it tell me dear how can improve page impressions
[admin] – One way you can improve your page impressions is to MARKET your site through legitimate way instead of spamming my blogs with your sites.