Google instant preview - A visual journey

Google has always worked towards developing newer and better applications for its users. The latest to join Google's family of new applications is the Google instant preview.

Google instant preview is changing not only the online experience for users but also the digital marketing campaigns of SEO experts. It has been reported that based on their testing, Google has found that people using instant previews are 5% more likely to be satisfied with the results they click on.

What is instant preview?

Instant preview renders a visual overview of the search result, something like a virtual magazine or catalogue that you can flip through to find the solution that is most applicable to your query. The most relevant parts of the search are highlighted to make this process further simpler for the user.

The user only needs to click on the magnifying glass icon next to each search result and an illustrated overview of the page will appear on the right side. For users who are using laptops or do not use a mouse, you can see the preview by hitting the right arrow key and browse using the down arrow key.

Advantage of Google instant preview

Google instant preview offers the following advantages

. Interactivity - by clicking on the magnifying glass icon, the user will be able to see the design and layout of the specific site without having to click on the link.

. Quick comparison of results - Having a visual description of the sites facilitates the user in performing a quick comparative analysis of the results to narrow down his options. This can be an invaluable asset, especially if the user is in a hurry.

. Relevant Content - search terms typed by the user will be highlighted in orange and give the user an idea of where they appear on the webpage. This makes it further easier for the user to assess whether that site is what he is looking for.

Implications for Digital Marketing

In the ever changing digital world, every single change implies a change in the behavior of the user and by extension a change in the digital marketing strategy. Google custom preview will also be ushering in a few changes.

In order to remain at speed with the changing user mentality and capitalize on the benefits of this new tool digital marketing experts should incorporate some new techniques into their existing digital marketing campaign.

One thing that is clear is that looks will now matter. Since it will be more about viewing, digital marketing experts should give high priority to design and structure of the webpage.

The page should have a clear, uncluttered and sharp design with the right kind of colours that reiterate the image of the site.

While planning their digital marketing campaign, experts should keep in mind that visuals have a lasting impression. A user who may have found something relevant via instant preview will try to identify that webpage through some sort of a visual element.

Digital marketing experts should incorporate tactics like having unique insignia or logo that re occurs on every page of the website.

Though crisp and prominent header tags have always been an integral part of digital marketing strategy, it has now become more important than ever to have header tags that users find relevant. Since only header tags will be clearly visible in the instant preview, users may choose to decide on the relevance of the site based on the relevance of the header.

Having a well tweaked Meta description is another digital marketing practice that can help in making the most of this application. Having an attractive and precise value proposition fitted within the allotted 150 characters can provide an incentive for the users to actually visit the website.

Google instant preview has unquestionably taken the search game higher by a few notches with ready advantages for digital marketing experts but only when existing SEO campaigns are tailored to match the changing dimensions will we be able to reap its full benefits.

Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing consultancy and can be contacted on 020 8891 2077 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk

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