Seven months into the international roll out of Google Suggest, I look at how it has changed the way people search, drawing on search trends in the mobile broadband and car insurance space.
Key takeaways
Google Suggest has had a profound impact on search patterns, drawing people away from narrow keywords towards longer tail versions. Search patterns in the 'mobile broadband' and 'car insurance' in the months leading up to, and following the launch of Google Suggest (on Google.co.uk, on March 31st 2009) speak for themselves:
- Narrow keyword searches are down. Google Suggest triggered a noticeable drop in short-tail searches, accelerating the trend towards longer tail keyword variations. Search trends across mobile broadband and car insurance reveal a sudden and sustained drop in narrow searches from March 31st 2009 onwards, in what had previously been stable search verticals. Searches on 'car insurance' as an exact match fell from 24% of all 'car insurance' searches in March to 21% in the following month and just 16% by October-end.
- The very long tail is up. Search volumes for the 5 most popular keywords within each of our verticals are down as people search across deeper and more diffuse phrases. By October-end, the five most popular search terms in the 'car insurance' space captured 28% of searches, down from 35% in March. Search patterns in the 'mobile broadband' space experienced similar trends, with the top 5 keywords drawing 24% of searches, down from 29% over the same time frame.
- Some longer tail variations more popular than others. The second and third most popular longer tail variations often enjoyed the largest increase in search volumes. In the mobile broadband space, 'mobile broadband pay as you go' and 'mobile broadband coverage' experienced sharp rises in search volumes at the expense of 'mobile broadband' exact match. Similarly, 'car insurance quotes' rose sharply at the expense of 'car insurance' exact match. It's no surprise that popular longer tail variations are up: they typically feature highest within the Google Suggest box.
- Keyword prominence matters. Search phrases front-loaded with the target keywords have grown in popularity as Google Suggest builds longer tail variations around the root. This trend is evident in the 'mobile broadband' space, with 'mobile broadband pay as you go' growing its share of 'mobile broadband' searches at the expense of 'pay as you go mobile broadband', from 1.7% to 2.8% since the launch of Google Suggest. Similar dynamics are at play in the 'car insurance' space, with 'cheap car insurance' losing ground to 'car insurance quotes'.
Case Study #1: Mobile broadband search trends
Mobile broadband still is a product in many people's minds. Exact match searches on 'mobile broadband' have and still do dominated searches within this vertical. They accounted for 22% of searches in March, and remain the most popular search term to this day, with 16% of searches in October 2009. The launch of Google Suggest accelerated the move away from exact match searches, with variations on 'pay as you go' plans and 'coverage' gaining in popularity. Data from Hitwise UK also points to deeper longer tail variations beyond the Top 5 being on the rise. |  |
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Case Study #2: Car insurance search trends
Car insurance is a product most people are familiar with. Search trends in this space have traditionally been stable, with limited variations in generic search phrases. Our 'Top 5 Searches' chart illustrates how stable search volumes were in the months prior to the launch of Google Suggest in the UK. Google Suggest has triggered a dramatic fall in exact match searches on 'car insurance', from 24% of all searches in this vertical in March, to just 16% by October end. 'Car insurance quotes' benefited the most from the change in search patterns, rising into second place over the period. | |
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A few words about this study
News stories, advertising campaigns and changes in seasons influence search volumes and search trends in one way or another. The launch of Google Suggest is another important contributing factor.
- Advertising campaigns. Our analysis focuses on generic search phrases alone. Brand phrases were hidden to remove the impact of advertising campaigns on search activity.
- Seasonality. The product verticals showcased in this report were chosen because they are relatively free from seasonal factors. Google Insights indicates that searches in the 'mobile broadband' space have grown over the years as consumer awareness has risen, showing no noticeable year-on-year pattern. While 'car insurance' searches traditionally experience a trough in Winter and a peak in the Summer time, they are flat the remainder of the year.
Source: Statistics sourced from Hitwise UK
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