Google introduces Instant for even faster searching

Posted on 9 Sep 2010 at 11:05

Google has introduced a new, faster search by displaying results on the page as you type. Google estimates that this new method - called Instant - will save you between 2 and 5 seconds on every query.

Currently, it's available to signed-in users on www.google.co.uk in English and also in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Russia.

Google says that it learned with Google Suggest (today renamed "Autocomplete") that dynamically predicting what people search for reduces the time it takes to enter a typical query by 50 per cent.

While it seems obvious that if Google could predict queries, it could also predict results, the company says it "faced a number of design and technical challenges before we could make this a reality".

As you type, predictions for the rest of your query are shown in light grey text, but you can also scroll down the list to change the dynamically shown results. If Google correctly predicts your query, you don't even need to finish typing or press enter - you can simply click on any of the results you see in the list.

At the back-end, Google says that Instant is pushing the limits of its technology and infrastructure as it will now have to show between five and seven times as many results pages as before.

The plan is to roll out Instant to signed-out users over the coming weeks, as well as expanding to other languages and domains.

Author: Jim Martin

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