3 Ways to Use Google Search Suggestions
Search suggestions: They’re sort of like that annoying friend who’s always trying to guess what you’re going to say before you’re done saying it. I often think, “Nope, Google, that’s not where I was going with that, not at all, at all,” but like many an annoying friend, I’d miss the search suggestions if they went away.
Google’s Autocomplete feature provides search suggestions as you type to save you time when you’re typing a common query. For example, start typing “Fa…” and Google guesses that you’re probably looking for Facebook. Sometimes the search suggestions are so ridiculous that it seems like they must have been handpicked by some Google employee with a bizarre sense of humor, but according to Google, the suggestions are determined algorithmically:
As you type, Google's algorithm predicts and displays search queries based on other users' search activities. If you're signed in to your Google Account and have Web History enabled, you might also see search queries from relevant searches that you've done in the past … Apart from the Google+ profiles that may appear, all of the predicted queries that are shown in the drop-down list have been typed previously by Google users.
Predicted queries are algorithmically determined based on a number of purely algorithmic factors (including popularity of search terms) without human intervention. The autocomplete data is updated frequently to offer fresh and rising search queries.
Over a lifetime of Google searches, those auto suggestions probably save you an hour or two and preserve your fingerprints for a little longer. But they have other uses too. Here are three of them.
Use Search Suggestions for Keyword Research
Because the suggestions are determined algorithmically based on factors like search volume/popularity, you can use them for rudimentary keyword research. Let’s say you want to write a blog post about those weird running shoes that look like gloves for your feet. They’re often called “glove shoes” or “barefoot running shoes.” But those terms probably have high competition, so you can use the Google search suggestions to get some ideas for narrower topics:
Suggested modifiers like “technique,” “injuries,” and “pros and cons” make it clear that barefoot running and glove shoes have their advantages and disadvantages, and may be dangerous if used incorrectly. The algorithms are telling you that this is information people are looking for. You can then play around further with Autocomplete to find more related phrases in the same keyword niche:
You might want to consult another keyword tool or two to confirm that these phrases have reasonable search volume and competition, and to help you decide which of the variations should be your primary target.
Use Search Suggestions for Reputation Management
Google’s search suggestions can also tip you off if you have a reputation management problem on your hands. In fact, Autocomplete is in the news this week for this very reason – Barry Schwartz reports that Google has been ordered to shut the feature down in Japan, “after being sued by a man for the auto-complete suggestions.”
Last year I wrote about the string of outraged, 1-star reviews on Amazon for a product called Crayola Colored Bubbles. Hilariously, if you Google the product name now, one of the auto suggestions is “class action lawsuit”:
Google your own company’s name and the brands of your key products, if applicable, as a quick reputation check.
Looks like we’re in the clear! Some suggestions you definitely would not want to see next to your company’s brand would be “scam,” “ripoff,” etc. The problem with these suggestions is that they might be self-reinforcing – if people see “scam” next to your name, they are more likely to click that suggestion and check out the results, which in turn increases the search volume for that query. So if any of your autocomplete suggestions are questionable, you need to work to counter the tide.
Use Search Suggestions for Amusement
Let’s get real, even aside from their value to end users and marketers, Google’s search suggestions are just funny!
Google is pretty much the only search engine that matters. Yes, others may be used more in certain regions, such as Baidu (with around 8% of overall usage, followed by Bing at 7%, according to Smart Insights). But even with those and other search engines, Google takes more than 77% of the searches across the globe.
On top of their general search features, they have become a staple for marketing efforts. Having a solid SEO strategy is a fundamental of promotion. With so much noise out there and around 40,000 searches every second, you have to make sure your website is coming up above it all and reaching the audience it needs to. That’s never easy – especially now that everyone is aware of SEO. There are free plugins to optimize any site, and almost anyone can learn it.
Google has a ton of awesome products and services – most of them are search-related. One of the features that I think it is especially valuable to understand is Google Suggest, which is good for more than just finishing sentences.
How Does Google Suggest Work?
Google Suggest (also called Autocomplete) has been around since 2008. In that time it hasn’t changed a whole lot in its function. Sure, there have been some updates such as the autocomplete feature being applied to URL searches instead of just in the search bar of the main page. It has also become much more intuitive and does a better job of suggesting what you might be looking for.
You might remember the commercials released a few years ago by Bing that talked about “search overload“. This wasn’t just an advertising ploy. It was actually a problem that some users might not remember Google having. Its suggestions were not always very relevant, and the search results could be frustratingly broad. That problem was fixed in subsequent updates. Consequently, Bing never managed to carve out more than a tiny share of the search market as a result.
Now, Google will narrow down through the entire process of you typing out a key phrase. It adapts with each new addition. So you have fresh, relevant suggestions right away, helping you find the answers that you need quickly. It is a very helpful feature if you are lazy like me and don’t want to type everything out. It’s perhaps even more helpful if you have an idea of what you are looking for, but don’t know the exact name.
But what makes Google Suggest especially useful is one fact: all search suggestions come from common searches other users have made. The more popular the search, the more likely you are to see it autocomplete. The more you narrow your phrase, the further away from the most popular overall phrases you get and the deeper you go into niche territory. It gives you insight into what people are looking for.
You probably see where this is going.
Google Suggest For Content Ideas
There are two primary ways you can play around with Google Suggest and improve your keyword research game. The first is through basic searches that give you ideas on the most popular phrases that are related to your niche.
But the goal isn’t just to come up with keywords. It is to take what people are asking or searching about and being the one to provide the answer.
Do a search on your topic and add “how to” at the beginning and see what popular phrase pops up when you begin typing it into the search bar. That’s a quick way to get inspired!
You can always dig deeper: Select any phrase and let Google Suggest provide suggestions for it:
Well, you now know that you should write a piece about that question, showing people how to do it. You find something your audience wants to know about, then give them the answer.
If that all sounds like a little too much work or time than you have to dedicate, you can find tools that do the heavy lifting for you. There are dozens out there, but my personal favorites are:
Bulk Suggest
This one will dig deep for you by expanding Google Suggest results by each letter of the alphabet.
AnswerThePublic
This one will run Google Suggest for you, find questions that pop up in its results and organize results by question words:
Google Suggest For Topic Research
The second way you have to use Google Suggest is to find related phrases that might be more effective for your SEO strategy. Google Suggest may help you expand your content beyond the most obvious terms. I have described this here: With a quick trick, you can see how Google actually understands your query. For example, it would suggest:
- nearby location (“troy”, “Schenectady”, “glens fall”)
- synonyms (“pets” and “pet” instead of “cats” and “lost” instead for “missing”)
- related entities, e.g., services and organizations that may solve your problem (“pet connection facebook”)
- related, but not exactly synonymous terms (“found” instead of “missing”)
- dịch vụ tạo google suggest
To get these results, here’s a quick exercise you need to perform:
- Type your phrase (3 words minimum) into the search box and click “search”
- Once you see the results, show Google that you are somehow lost by clicking somewhere inside your query
- dịch vụ tạo google suggest đà m triệu vinh
Here’s another example of related suggestions:
In this case, Google assumes that, since you were searching for GIFs, you may also be interested in memes and quotes…
Play more to understand your topic and relationships between the concepts better!
Please Share Your Thoughts
Do you have any ideas on how to use Google Suggest? Let us know in the comments!
Related reading: Your Complete Content Plan Part 1: Keyword Research