Predictive Search through Google Now

Chances are you’ve already experienced the invention that is predictive text, where your phone takes a guess at what you’re trying to say based on previous texts and how you communicate. Now, the search engines are adopting that idea of predicting what its users are going to be looking for or going to need.

In the next few years, we could see the search engines presenting information to logged in users before they even think to search for it. We’re specifically watching Google Now, as Google really sets the tone for the future of search.

The Google Now platform is built on assistance and providing the right information at the right time instead of making users search for it. The platform aims to make its users' day-to-day lives more manageable by showing reservation reminders, important dates sourced from emails, etc. It'll pull information from a users' Gmail and relevant search history and uses a variety of signals, such as location or time-specific reminders, to present the cards (as shown below) the user is most likely to be interested in. So, if you’ve created a grocery list, you can have Google Now ping you next time you’re near your neighborhood grocery store.

 

Google Now also has the ability to impact the travel industry. How? Some of the information Google Now serves up includes flight information and boarding passes, hotel information and websites, nearby events and attractions, and former research topics, such as “trip to (location).”

This trend only reinforces the need for a strong local SEO strategy and optimized listings, such as Google My Business. If your hotel isn’t optimized with your location, you could be missing out on travelers searching for hotels just like yours. Or, if travelers are searching for events in your city and your events calendar is fully optimized, they’re more likely to land on your website and then convert.

Google Now is also an app for smartphones and tablets, again reaffirming search engine’s desire for mobile optimized or responsive websites. The app will work on Android phones using the Jelly Bean OS and up, and Apple users can use the latest Google Search app.

What do you think of predictive search? Is this something you'd be likely to use given the amount of information you'd need to share? Tell us in the comment section below!