Instant Search

Earlier this week Google launched Instant Search (on google.com). That means that the SERP changes dynamically while you enter a search query.

It will be interesting to see if search behavior alters as a result of this technology. It would come as no surprise if queries become shorter as a consequence of people entering the minimum number of words to reach the result they were looking for.

You could also imagine the opposite development: that search queries will become longer as people build upon their original search phrase to get improved results instead of starting over with a whole new attempt to find what they're looking for.  Only time will tell.

Another possible effect could be that the search queries relevant to advertisers in adwords can actually increase. Imagine a person looking to buy a new bathtub. The query could be "buy new batht"... an ad appears that meets the need for the person searching and this must be targeted separately.

This is how Google will count impressions in Adwords

An impression is recorded when:

• An explicit commitment to the query (hit enter, click search button, or choose the query from autocomplete)
• A click on the page (ad, result, spell correction, related search, etc)
• Long pause while viewing the page (currently defined as 3 seconds)