How Your Business Can Leverage Predictive Search

February 15, 2025

Your business can use predictive search functionality to increase your brand visibility. Continue reading to learn how.

Predictive search is a Google Search feature that automatically populates search term suggestions as you type.

The predictive search feature improves the user experience in several ways:

• Convenience: The user doesn’t need to remember exact search terms or spellings — Google will still suggest relevant queries a lot of the time.
• Efficiency: Users can spend less time typing and more time selecting the search term they want.
• Engagement: Often, Google’s suggestions surface a search term the user hadn’t thought of, which increases their time spent online.
• Personalization: Predictive search is personalized to the user based on their past behaviors and their location.
• Relevance: The suggested search queries may phrase the query in a better way than the user would.

For businesses, predictive search tools can lead to better brand awareness, increased visibility, more traffic, and higher click-thru rates (CTR).

In this article, we’ll go over strategies for optimizing brand content for more prominence in predictive search suggestions.

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How Does Predictive Search Work?

According to Google, predictive search options “reflect real searches that have been done on Google.” In addition to suggesting common queries related to what the user has typed, autocomplete also takes into consideration:

• Language of the query
• Location of the user
• Trending interest in the topic
• The user’s past searches

Predictive search allows Google to cater predicted search queries to the user’s behavior as well as the location, trends and breaking news.

The Role of Predictive Search and Autocomplete for Business

While you can’t control autocomplete, you can use SEO so that your content is optimized around common search queries. Ideally, predictive search will suggest terms you’ve used in your content and your content will rank highly in search results.

Additionally, some autocomplete terms can influence brand perception before the user even makes their selection. In the example below, Googling “best sneakers for marathon” showed several predictive search queries, including “best asics for marathon.” Without even doing further research, the user would assume that the ASICS brand makes great sneakers for running a marathon.

The opposite can occur, too, with some query options causing harm to the brand, whether or not what the term suggests is factual. In the example below, Googling “data breach bank” brings up results for specific banks, including Bank of America and Chase Bank.

These types of predictive search results make it seem like these banks had data breaches at some point. That could put them in a bad light to customers, who may not even go further to determine if the banks did, in fact, have data breaches.

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Keyword Research Tips for Predictive Search Optimization

To conduct keyword research for the purpose of optimizing for predictive search and autocomplete predictions, you have to find the terms that users typically type into search engines. Predictive suggestions are based on user behavior, so it’s definitely possible to determine which terms people will search for and how they match up with your content.

Use Google Autocomplete for Research

One of the best and easiest ways to find search terms is to look at Google’s predictive search options. To get started, begin to type your search term. Then, as you type, look at the suggestions that populate underneath. 

In the example below, the query “how to do SEO research” brings up suggestions for narrowing down results, such as “how to do SEO research for Etsy” and “how to do keyword research for Instagram.”

If you’re writing an article about how to do SEO research, these predictive search options can help you figure out the different topics to write about. Instead of writing one enormous article, you could write shorter articles that optimize for the suggested terms.

Additionally, these predictive search options show you different ways to phrase the title of your article. Instead of always using the terms “how to do SEO research,” you could also optimize for “how to do keyword research.”

Also, by selecting one of the options, you’ll go to a results page for that query. You can continue to explore autocomplete suggestions by clicking the search box and seeing more terms related to the query you’ve entered. 

For example, selecting “how to do SEO research for Etsy” brings you to a page of results for that term. Clicking the search box shows more autocomplete suggestions:

Implementing Predictive Search for Competitor Research

In addition to searching for terms to use in your content, you can use Google autocomplete to find competitor-related terms. This can help you in a few ways:

• Identify gaps that your competitors aren’t filling. Create content to fill in those gaps.
• Discover the words and phrases that users associate with other companies in your industry.
• Uncover negative autocomplete results and make a plan to avoid them.

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Check Out the People Also Ask Section

There’s even more SEO help that Google can offer. Once you’re on a search results page, scroll down a bit until you reach the People Also Ask (PAA) section. These FAQs can help you generate more ideas for spinoff articles or a FAQ section in your main article.

Even More Google Search Terms

By scrolling to the very bottom of a search results page, you’ll see a section with various related search terms. This can help you generate even more SEO ideas. By clicking on any one of them, you’ll bring up a search engine results page (SERP) for that term, and you can continue the keyword research process.

Create Optimized Content Based On Your Findings

Now that you’ve found a number of search terms that your audience is likely using, it’s time to create high-quality, optimized content with those phrases. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when putting together your brand content:

• Phrase your content in the same way the query is phrased. Using the same wording makes it easier for Google to match your content to the query.
• Add variations of the predictive suggestions to your content. Think of them as secondary keywords.
• Use keywords and phrases in the body of the content, as well as in titles, metadata, image alt text, headers, etc.

Also, if you have a local business, make sure to use geo indicators in some of your search terms. Local search is a big component of autocomplete suggestions.

How a Positive Online Reputation Can Influence Predictive Search

Predictive search is associated with real, human behavior. When your brand has positive coverage and commentary online, search engines will associate your brand with positive terms. With a PR strategy, you can reinforce your brand’s online image and help shape Google suggestions.

Types of Content That Can Influence Google Search

There are various types of content that can influence Google Search, including autocomplete suggestions and search results, such as:

• Articles in well-known and respected media outlets
• Guest blog posts on high-authority sites
• High-engagement posts on social media
• Positive online reviews, ratings and testimonials from customers

When you have a variety of positive content types online, crossing different platforms, Google Search and predictive search can turn in your favor.

Types of PR Strategies That Can Influence Google Search

There are also different types of PR strategies that can influence Google Search, including:

• Building relationships with trusted influencers
• Creating branded hashtags and slogans that users will search for; using these terms in your content and CTAs
• Developing new blog content to counteract negative results and search suggestions
• Generating buzz around awards and other impressive brand attributes
• Sending press releases to spotlight brand news and product launches

A multi-factor PR strategy, along with a targeted content strategy, will work together to give you the best presence in Google Search and predictive search possible.

Our Online Reputation and Content Experts Can Help

Implementing predictive search is only one of many ways you can affect online search and the user experience when someone looks for your name or company online.

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