How You Can Manipulate Google Autosuggest

How does Google Autosuggest generate predictions? 

If you are like most users, you have also wondered about how Google Autosuggest seems to aptly read your mind. Well, they don’t. What they do, however, is be really good at predictions. The following are some of the primary factors it uses to generate its mostly accurate prediction: 

Search history

When you search for a word or phrase for the first time, that data is stored in your search history. As soon as you log into your Google account, the data gets saved so that subsequently when you type a word or phrase that partially matches your search history, suggestions pop up. 

Location and language

Google Autosuggest also works based on your location and language settings. When you type a word or phrase, Google will offer relevant, localized recommendations and suggestions based on your area and language. For example, if you were to search “best breakfast restaurant in…”, Google Autosuggest will fill the rest with your location. 

Search popularity

Chances are whatever word or phrase you are typing into the Google search engine (or similar) has been typed multiple times before by other users. A lot of search words or phrases might start the same, but Google suggests the most common full query. 

Why you should manipulate Google Autosuggest

In more ways than one, Google Autosuggest influences users’ searches. Most people know what they are looking for but aren’t quite sure about how to phrase it and will rely on Google for suggestions. Some others don't have a clear idea of what they are searching for and will typically look to Google autosuggest for recommendations. All these possibilities are why you should manipulate Google Autosuggest and leverage it to your advantage. 

The following are some more reasons you should manipulate Google Autosuggest: 

It allows you to manage your brand’s reputation

For brands, Google Autosuggest is an important tool for online reputation. This search prediction feature can either be an opportunity for or a danger to your brand’s online reputation. This applies to both businesses and individuals. 

If you are still wondering how that could be, here it goes: 

Google Autosuggest is the place where a lot of users will get their first impression about some brands and people. And first impressions, by their very nature, are nearly impossible to change and they can influence how a potential customer interacts with your brand. 

Say someone searches for your brand and the first suggestion is “<your brand name> scam". They will likely distrust your brand. But if you manipulate Google Autosuggest, you can control these first impressions. 

It helps you Influence search and boost brand awareness

About 75% of search queries in the Google search engine are influenced by Google Autocomplete. Even among the most willful users, the Google dropdown suggestions can potentially influence or even change their queries. 

Having your brand pop up after strategic or money keywords is key to ensuring that users are aware of who you are. They might not click on it now, but they might come back later. The more users see your brand in those predictions, the higher the trust they will have in your business. 

How to manipulate Google Autosuggest

Now that you understand why you need to manipulate Google Autosuggest, all that is left is how to pull it off. The most effective method is to control how users are searching for your keywords.

Here are some quick things you can do:

• Find the right keywords using the Google Keyword Planner tool. Since Google Autocomplete API is no longer available, the next best thing is the Keyword Planner, which helps you to access search data from the Google search engine. Create SEO articles that target those searches and keywords. Soon, when your website starts ranking on those queries, those selected keywords will start being associated with your brand in search suggestions.
• Keep up with search trends in real-time using the Google Trends tool. The relevance of keywords goes up if they are trending at a current time, date, month, or a certain location. These trending keywords give you an idea of what direction things are moving in your niche and help you to tap in on it. 
• Listening to customers' reviews actively. Be proactive and attend to your client's needs so they don’t have to destroy your brand name on Google Autosuggest. Build a customer complaint box on your website and respond to your DMs on social media. Do everything within your means to avoid negative reviews.

That said, all these three methods take time to produce results, it could take anytime from a few months to a year or more. If you want a faster way to drive search traffic and improve your click-through rate (CTR), ClickSEO is your best bet. 

Using ClickSEO

The fastest way to climb to the top of SEO rankings is by increasing the CTR on your keywords. The higher the CTR, the more Google will be able to see positive user signals, and the higher you will rank on SERPs.

To use ClickSEO, follow the following steps: 

Step 1: Research

Find out how much traffic your selected keyword gets. Then, aim to redirect at least 10% of that traffic to your branded keyword so that Google can pop it up in its autosuggest. 

Step 2: Create a ClickSEO account

Sign up for ClickSEO, create a project, and start directing traffic to your branded keyword.

Step 3: Monitor progress

Monitor suggestions to see if Google has started suggesting your keywords.