360i Report Outlines How Google Caffeine Differs from Old Google

If you’ve been following Google Caffeine, you know, the new search architecture the search giant has been teasing search marketers with, then you may not be sure what to expect when it’s eventually rolled into the main search. Some of us didn’t see anything new, others saw big changes.

The folks over at 360i did a bunch of heavy lifting and have released a report comparing Caffeine to the old Google, which they have appropriately nicknamed Decaf.

360i analyzed 40 retail keywords as follows:

• 10 major retail brand names (keywords)
• 10 retail head terms (single keywords)
• 10 retail torso terms (two-word phrases)
• 10 retail long-tail phrases (four-word phrases)

They came up with the following conclusions:

1. Domains and rankings will fluctuate.
2. The index size of single keyword search relevance will increase, meaning more competition.
3. Long-tail becomes more relevant.
4. Caffeine is faster. You’ll get results (SERPs) in half the time, on average.
5. Universal (aka Blended) results will increase
6. Social media listings will increase, primarily due to a lift in YouTube listings.

With just 40 keywords, this report is certainly not comprehensive, but it is an interesting profile of Google Caffeine. Personally, what I have seen is almost the exact opposite from Google Caffeine: less universal, not much fluctuation on rankings, and smaller index (perhaps for testing purposes). I have seen it faster. But again, the index sizes I’ve personally seen were smaller, hence, faster results.

I don’t dispute the report or what others have seen that agree with the report. My conclusion is this: Your mileage WILL vary. Do your homework. Study your keywords. Be ready for the implementation of Google Caffeine.

It’s been two weeks since Google unveiled caffeine. What are you seeing? Let us know by leaving a comment.