Google's Instant Preview

Before Google Instant Preview was launched in November 2010, studies reported that users took less than 4 seconds to decide whether to stay on your website or to click the "Back" button and move on. But with Google's Instant Preview, users no longer need to actually visit your website to preview it, and the decision to click on your site could be based on nothing more that the overall look of the site and/or the headers that can be read from the preview image - which may take even less than 4 seconds.

If users are not initially drawn to your site based on what they see in Google's preview, there is little chance they will visit your website at all, especially if the other sites listed on the results page have previews that are more interesting, seem more useful, or are more eye-catching than yours.

Now more than ever, every page of your site must be well designed and look professional (not outdated or amateurish), and must be appealing and interesting enough to motivate web searchers to actually click on your link in the search results. Now, your site not only competes on keywords, title tags, and description tags (which used to be the only items displayed in the search results), but must also impress searchers visually as well. With Google's Instant Preview, the overall design and appearance of your site suddenly matters more than ever before.

Tips for Google Instant Preview

Google's Instant Previews give you another opportunity to attract searchers and persuade them to click on your website instead of the competition. Plus, there are also some additional strategies you can use to improve your chances of getting that all-important click now that Instant Previews are here. Below are some tips to help you make the most of this new Google feature:

Upgrade Your Design - The overall "look and feel" of your website is the first thing most searchers notice when they preview your website. Your site must have an attractive layout with plenty of white space, readable headers, eye-catching use of colors, and it must look professional and credible. It is unlikely that "home-grown" or DIY sites can win many clicks when displayed in the search results beside professionally developed sites. The way your site looks in Google Instant Preview will now be the first impression of your website, and may determine whether it gets clicked on at all.