Google, You Autocomplete Me…Please Stop!

When you search for information with the Google search engine, it only takes a few keystrokes to produce a drop-down list of possible search terms. This is the Google autocomplete function, and that drop-down list is its predictions. The list is based on the search terms you’re using, along with your past searches.

Google says Autocomplete is meant to help users. “You can find information faster by looking at search predictions,” they say on their Help page. “Search predictions are possible search terms you can use that are related to the terms you’re typing and what other people are searching for.”

Google Autocomplete: It’s Complicated… and Unpredictable

In many ways, Autocomplete is unpredictable. Type just a few letters into the search box, and you’re likely to see suggestions that are totally unrelated to what you’re looking for. Someone took that unpredictability and turned it into a game: type the beginning of a phrase, like “I want to go to…” and guess what Autocomplete will predict. Paris? Las Vegas? The bathroom?

Autocomplete definitely has a downside. Its predictions are based on a complex algorithm that considers not only your past searches, but Google’s trending stories. If negative terms become associated with your name, or the name of your business, Autocomplete displays them, even when they have nothing to do with you. And this can have serious consequences to your Online Reputation Management.

AutoSuggest RX

Some people hate Google autocomplete, and would like to see it go away. You used to be able to turn it off, but not anymore. What, then, can you do to influence Google’s Autocomplete terms?

InternetReputation.com AutoSuggest RX eliminates negative or unwanted predictions, and replaces them with positive keywords. Used with our Business and Personal Reputation Management strategies, and services that remove negative news articles or public court records, you can replace unwanted Autocomplete predictions with positive ones, and improve your Google search results ranking. You’re left with greater control of your online presence.

Once we have addressed the Autocomplete issue, we can implement a monitoring campaign that alerts you whenever your name, or the name of your business, is mentioned on the Web. It’s an unbeatable solution that provides you with peace of mind, and the positive online reputation you need in today’s competitive Internet environment.