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Disable Google Instant is Easy

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Google Instant

Have you noticed a change in how Google Search pulls up search right away and tries to give you what you are looking for before you can finish typing? If you have been wondering what its all about and why, or if you just want to turn it off, then you have come to the right place…

About a month ago..

Google Instant was released. Instant is a new way to search. One of Google’s goals was to make user’s searches faster. The key features of Instant are Dynamic results, predictions, and scroll to search. In theory this is great idea and I liked in the beginning. But now I find it a bit annoying especially with Google blacklisting certain words or words that SHOULD be black listed. Trust me, looking up certain keywords, might bring up site listings that are not safe for work.

As of today, my wife will have this feature turned off as she requested. For her, Instant doesn’t work so well. At work she is constantly doing  safe (work friendly searches ) for business related stuff and half the time all of her search words are blacklisted, Like her and many others, they found it hard to want to keep Instant as their default search tool. Maybe in the future, Google will adjust how Instant works. If they do, more will use it.

Is it really helping?

Some will say it will help build page views for your site or we will get more traffic to our site because it will start showing up in more searches. These kinds of page views and drop in guests are not really here to see our sites. They stumbled across it during a search for something else. All they do is click on the link and then hit the back button if it is not what they want. All it does is fluff up our web site traffic stats and kill our bounce rate.

Some love it and others hate it. Is Google Instant here to stay? We will just have to wait and see. Check out this cool commercial created using one of Bob Dylan’s music videos to a demo of how well Google Instant works. It’s a great video and l love the song.

Check it out and decide for yourself if you want to keep it.

How To Disable Google Instant

If you want to disable Google Instant and use the old search style, its easy to do. You do not even need a Google account to turn it off.

To disable Google instant go to Google.com > Search Settings (top right) > Google Instant Preferences > Select Do not use Google Instant .

google instant search

google instant

For those that have an account and want to keep Instant, you can remove certain search phrases from the results. Or you could disable history on Google (yes by default saves your search results and history) and then you wouldn’t have personalized results.

Final Thoughts

I like the idea and at first I liked how it found searches fasters. But now it brings ups to much junk and they blackout to many useful search words to make the tool not very useful for me.  But most of the time it works ok. But will probably turn it off in the future..

Image Source: Iconfinder

Filed Under: SEO

About

spends most of his free time using social media and loves to teach others about design, web development, CSS, SEO, and social media. He is addicted to Wordpress, and social media. You can reach him website, Evolutionary Designs Blog.

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{ 52 Responses }

  1. hamed says:
    I have tried to disable the Instant feature of Google several times (from Search Setting>Google Instant> Do not use....) , but it wasn't disabled. How can I disable the Instant feature of Google? Please help me?
    • element321 says:
      Hi Hamed, Sorry to hear that. I have heard others having this issue as well. Make sure your cookies are on . If it is, empty your cache and try again. Option 2: Do you have a Google account? If so try logging into your search settings (while logged in) and disable it. It should work that way. If you do not have account, it might be best to create an account with them and then turn off in the search settings.
  2. satrap says:
    I truly hate the new Google instant thing. It wont even allow you to finish writing the whole word. The bad thing is somehow as you type some letters will left out since the instant results cuts it off in the middle of your typing and show you other "related" search terms. I t really is kind of annoying.
    • element321 says:
      Yeah, most people hate Google Instant. I would turn it off and not worry about anymore... :)
  3. Alex Dumitru says:
    I really like Google Instant. It makes everything much easier, especially with the Chrome feature :)
  4. Michael Aulia says:
    I actually like it a lot :D It's very quick too so I can search faster as I make modifications to my keywords search
    • Alex Dumitru says:
      This is my opinion about it, too. Google Instant rocks :)
  5. karan says:
    Didn't know we could do that. But I pretty much like Google suggestions it saves time most of the time.
    • Alex Dumitru says:
      I also like Google Instant. It makes my job much easier :)
  6. Designer's Digest says:
    I love this feature so i dont think I am going to disable to any time.
  7. Mark Walker says:
    Thank you very much. The last thing I want is a search engine to they and read my mind. I use the regular search just fine.
    • element321 says:
      Your Welcome Mark... :)
  8. Caleb says:
    It's kinda like what Chris Anderson talks about in his book The Long Tail in that since now we can find whatever we want, the trick is making the "filters" better ;)
    They stumbled across it during a search for something else. All they do is click on the link and then hit the back button if it is not what they want. All it does is fluff up our web site traffic stats and kill our bounce rate..
    Interesting viewpoint although I found it to be the opposite for me whenever I search and I actually delight in finding sites I never knew existed, but of course it all depends on the user and what he's searching for..
    • element321 says:
      For me, its all about time and how much I have. If I am working with a client and I am on a time line....Then I hate it because I find stuff I might find interesting. But it wastes time! If I am on my own time, then its okay. I don't mind it as much...
  9. Brian says:
    Well done with this post. Google instant still has some kinks to work out, but at least it has the right concept in mind. One of the things I have yet to find out regards search queries. How does Google now track search queries in their webmaster tools? With results changing with every new letter typed the query must not be tracked until a certain amount of time has passed from the end of typing. It's a somewhat minor point, but the information is often used by many web developers and internet marketers.
    • element321 says:
      Thanks Brian, Good question about tracking through Google webmaster tools. I need to look into that...
  10. Kimi says:
    Great, simple, and useful tip but I agree with Harsh! At first, i hate the look of Google Instant, because it was a new look and not used it But now i love it, it makes my search way faster :)
  11. Alex says:
    I think you can disable google instant search while searching, you have a little text on the right side of the search box where it says instant search is on, you can click it and disable it. Anyway, you method is more correct.
  12. Dennis Edell says:
    Thank you!! A sanity saver you are. Tweeted!
    • element321 says:
      your welcome Dennis!
  13. Richard says:
    I haven't needed to disable instant search. Mainly I use the search bar in my browser to search so I hardly ever see it. But also it only comes up when I'm actually logged into google, which I don't do at work anyways. On occasion I see it at home but not frequent enough to bother me.
  14. TJ McDowell says:
    Tried Google instant one or 2 times. It drives me nuts, so I turned it off. It takes some thought for me to type in a search term, and I may be thinking about what to type next as I'm typing. The visual changes from instant search distract me from what I'm thinking about. ADD? maybe, but instant search is a definite no for me.
    • element321 says:
      There are times I like Google Instant ( when i have to use it) but most time it drives me nuts as well... Sometimes I get distracted as well and start clicking on things that catch my eyes...
  15. Pritam says:
    Most of the time instant is very useful but some it irritates me with the result. But overall its a useful tool. I am from India and if I think I don't want to search with Instant I just search in Google.co.in as instant is not yet available on this site of Google.
    • element321 says:
      Pritam, Thanks for sharing this info about Google.Co.in! I thought all of google updated....
  16. Prasenjit says:
    How do you guys think that Google Instant is going to affect SEO experts? I've written about it in the past on my blog. One of my readers wrote a very useful comment that it will actually be a problem for SEO experts who promise to achieve first page rankings. Thanks.
    • element321 says:
      I see it as a possible problem for SEO. Maybe now, but in the future. Live search is bound to take off and if it does the SEO rules will chance once again...
    • Caleb says:
      Most of those so-called experts can't get you first page rankings anyway -even before Google Instant- except for hardly used key terms and the few that actually do make good on the promise cannot keep you there for more than half a day if that long. Search listings are just forever in a state of flux as that's the very nature of it.
      • element321 says:
        So true! Its very expensive to keep page one results. Thats why large companies can keep it on the first page. Its all about budgets and how much money you have to spend keeping targeted keywords on page one!
  17. DiTesco says:
    I'm not disabling Google instant as I have not found it to be be very annoying (yet) ti use. I simply continue on typing what I am searching for and basically ignoring it's predictions. This is just like suggest, with the difference that it show me some results instantly. Occasionally I pay attention to it to "hunt" for keywords either for posts or for domaining. Anyway, It is good to know that it can be disabled. Thanks
    • Kamal Hasa says:
      Right that is what I have been doing as well. To be frank the eyes get strained a lot with the Instant thing. But otherwise it does save a few seconds..
      • element321 says:
        Kamal, I agree, for me the constant search is a little distracting and at times does get annoying...
  18. Justin Germino says:
    I personally don't like Google Instant and always hit enter as soon as I type the keywords I was looking for not really paying attention to Google Instant. I will be disabling it, but close and open my browser often and the settings will constantly get reset (only bad thing).
    • element321 says:
      I never really noticed that. I will have to test that. I am always logged into Google. So maybe that is why it stays disabled for me... Thanks for sharing with us Justin!
  19. Steve says:
    I don't mind using google instant. I can't see many reasons that I would want to use a word that is "blacklisted" though I am generally wary of them having the ability to "tailor" searches. Doing affiliate marketing and having a lot of "long tail keywords" that do not pop organically in instant, I want a way to turn it off for the rest of the world, though...
    • element321 says:
      I agree Steve, its needs to be turned off for everyone... The funny thing is they are blacklisted words that "might bring bad things" or things they don't want us looking at...
  20. Andreas says:
    I disabled google instant already several weeks ago because the results they show to me before finishing my keyphrase are just too broad and not working for me. Its like google 10 years ago when there were a lot less pages indexed.
    • element321 says:
      Andreas, I noticed that to! Maybe they will fix it.. But if we have it off, we won't ever know. :)
  21. Ryan Rosado says:
    I have to say I'm also not a big fan of Google Instant either Harsh Agrawal. I delete my history everyday at work so when I log into my iGoogle I have to go in and disable the Google Instant function daily-kind of annoying. Also, where I work we work on a Sexual Harassment program for the U.S. Army called SHARP. If we type in "Sex" we instantly have results that our IT person could nail us for. So in instances where your search terms have the possibility of being suggestive, I don't fancy Google Instant.
    • Prasenjit says:
      Well said Ryan. :)
    • element321 says:
      Ryan, I know what you mean. I was doing a search at work and some things that came up including google images came NSFW! Not cool at all... Thats why I turned off at work and my laptop I take with me when I am working at lunch at one of the cafes I like to eat...
  22. Lennart Heleander says:
    For me is it perfect, it give me more and similarly alternative to what I search for very quicker and better.
  23. Pankaj Gupta says:
    Thanks for sharing it. I was getting sometime automatically Google instant results. Now I can easily block using it.. :)
    • element321 says:
      Your Welcome Pankaj.
  24. sujith says:
    Still I don't like Google instant. It's only a fancy bandwidth eating technology.
    • ZK says:
      That's a valid point if you have limited broadband connectivity.
    • Prasenjit says:
      Very true. Specially here in India, bandwidth is a major problem. Though I have unlimited broadband connectivity, still sometimes I get "Google Instant Search is disabled due to Slow Connection". Well I don't turn it back on after that.
    • element321 says:
      Sujith, I notice it does take more bandwidth. Your one of the first people to mention this... I have you noticed a big difference when doing searches?
  25. Harsh Agrawal says:
    Somehow I started liking Google Instant search now.. Earlier I used to hate it but after getting used to it..It's handy and more over it gives some funny suggestions at time, which is fun to watch..!!
    • ZK says:
      And also can kill your time as well.
    • element321 says:
      Harsh, It can come in handy, but lately it hasn't been so handy. So it got turned off.