Google revealed “Google Instant” today—you can try it out here if you like, though it may already be activated within your browser at Google.com.
It’s pretty much just how it sounds. You begin typing your query into Google’s search box and your search results change in real-time with each additional letter you add, displayed dynamically on the search results page.
“We want search to be fun, fast, and interactive,” said Google’s Marissa Mayer. Currently, the average user takes nine seconds to enter a search query, about one second for Google to return results, and another 15 seconds for the user to make a selection. Total query time: 25 seconds.
With Google Instant, the search engine fetches predictive results to reduce the overall query time by around five seconds. Mayer used the example of searching for “fauvism,” which returned relevant results once she’d typed only the first four letters.
Google Instant will be rolling out today in the US, with an international rollout to follow within the next week. A mobile version is planned as well, due sometime this fall.
More on Techland: Liveblog: Google Search Event
