Google Discontinues Instant Search

rgMekanic

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In a statement Google announce that they are removing the Instant feature effective today. Google Instant was launched in 2010, a feature that provided you with instant search results as you typed in your query. While this was a feature added to make searches faster when using a desktop, now more searches being conducted on mobile. Google is killing off Instant to make Search "more fluid on all devices."

I had to look up what it was too don't worry. I never really paid attention to the instant results, and when I did notice it, I found it annoying, like someone interrupting you because they thought they knew what you were going to say. I know some will miss the "feature" however I won't be one of them.

We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.
 
It's a mild disappointment for me because the only time I really used Instant Search was when I was researching some obscure problems for my OS which is Arch Linux or for my server virtual machines. Otherwise I found it to be largely like background noise.
 
The mentality of holding back computers because phones are less capable needs to die. I know Google has an interest in propping up mobile due to Android, but it is fairly annoying. Different tools for different tasks. Desktops are much quicker and more efficient, and there is no reason to artificially hold them back.
 
I didn't use that crap anyway. I always disabled it because it made using the down/up arrows to scroll the webpage down turn to an arrow that selected results. Not having the page scroll smoothly as a result of instant search being on by default drove me nuts.
 
Just for clarity, we're talking about Google pre-populating the search page with results right? Or does this also include suggestions in the search bar? Because I'll miss those.
 
The mentality of holding back computers because phones are less capable needs to die. I know Google has an interest in propping up mobile due to Android, but it is fairly annoying. Different tools for different tasks. Desktops are much quicker and more efficient, and there is no reason to artificially hold them back.

The worst example of this is when websites get redesigned for phones when they already have a mobile version but nobody uses it because it sucks, then they both end up sucking.
 
Just for clarity, we're talking about Google pre-populating the search page with results right? Or does this also include suggestions in the search bar? Because I'll miss those.
I wouldn't miss it at all. I would rather not have what I type sent to their servers until I'm done typing it, and I preferred it when autocomplete would keep a history of my searches in the search box.

Search suggestions are for people with difficulty spelling.
 
The worst example of this is when websites get redesigned for phones when they already have a mobile version but nobody uses it because it sucks, then they both end up sucking.
When Google announced they were going to give ranking priority to sites which were mobile-friendly, it was the most widespread and quickest change I've ever seen take place on the internet, and it showed how much power Google really wields. Within a month of that announcement, almost every website I visited regularly had redesigned their sites into bland and less functional mobile designs.
 
i like the search bar pre-populating since sometimes I might be searching for something really specific that I dont quite know how to phrase and it's nice to see what other people have searched for to fill in the blanks for me.

I like that too, fortunately that isn't going away
 
The worst example of this is when websites get redesigned for phones when they already have a mobile version but nobody uses it because it sucks, then they both end up sucking.

Here's looking at you, UPS. They just "improved" their website - it is horrible. And I have to use the website regularly for work, and my productivity just tanked when they "optimized" their site.
 
I probably wont miss it. It seemed to me the first results that pop up were either not relevant or just annoying adds. I got into the habit to immediately scroll down a bit.
 
I liked it for conversions, if you type USD to JPY the bar pops up 111.31 so you don't even have to bother hitting enter. Or if you say "5 cups in ML" or whatever.

Obvious reason they are making this change is to get more impressions. If you don't hit enter, you don't load a new page, which means you don't get a fresh set of ad impressions.
 
The mentality of holding back computers because phones are less capable needs to die. I know Google has an interest in propping up mobile due to Android, but it is fairly annoying. Different tools for different tasks. Desktops are much quicker and more efficient, and there is no reason to artificially hold them back.

Except for that fact that Google is a direct competitor to Microsoft. Therefore, they will do everything they can to make the experience worse on a Microsoft OS based desktop. (Other OSes are just collateral damage.)
 
Yup, lack of ad revenue for people not actually getting to the first page of paid ads... Plus I'm guessing this will dramatically reduce the load on their servers, as the service isn't hitting the API to run a search/return results every time you type a letter.
 
I liked the feature. Go to type in an error message or something, and it knows the complete thing without my typing it.

Plus, if I get the first few letters right, it can finish the word without me spelling it wrong.

Not going to miss it much. But, it was handy at times.
 
Yup, lack of ad revenue for people not actually getting to the first page of paid ads... Plus I'm guessing this will dramatically reduce the load on their servers, as the service isn't hitting the API to run a search/return results every time you type a letter.

Yep. Pretty much this.

We saw a lot of the top keywords go up in clicks, but the mid to bottom tier tanked. So getting in those first few spots became a priority as people were just spoon fed ideas.

I'm personally glad they're getting rid of this. For the algorithm to really work correctly people need to phrase their queries in a natural manner rather than juxtapositions.
 
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