This month, Google rolled out a new tool that is destined to change the face of Internet searching forever. It will affect the way that companies like mine conduct and report back on keyword research, it will affect the way that businesses 'SEO' their websites. Ultimately, it will affect the way that websites create (and harvest) links to each other.

Do a search on Google today and you may notice something that is a little different. There is a new link called "Show options" at the top of the Google results pages. It will look something like this:

Click that link and something interesting will happen to your results page. It will change, giving you the opportunity to filter your search results between Videos, Forums, Reviews and a number of other options.

The Google Wonder Wheel

One of those options is the Google Wonder Wheel. This unique tool lets you - for the first time ever - to see how Google "relates" information (keyword search phrases) around and to your original search query. The idea behind the Wonder Wheel is that it is intended to provide more relevant and broader search results by displaying the "visual relationships" between the search terms as they are stored in Google's databases.

Here is an example of the Google Wonder Wheel that is shown for a search done for "shoes" from Google UK for the entire web. Go ahead and try it out for yourself and search Google for shoes (link will open in a new window so you can come back here easily to carry on reading).

If you're thinking that this is a nice, cute little gimmick from Google and "whatever will they think of next!", then think again. This isn't just a neat little tool that some boffin at Google dreamed up - this is something that will change the face of search. Forever. Firstly, because every link in the Google Wonder Wheel is clickable, it can be used for carrying out keyword research. You still need to know what you're doing, but believe me, it makes that job a whole lot more interesting and, in some respects more intuitive.

The ability to delve deeper and deeper into Google's database in such a visually oriented way enables SEO consultants like me to get right to the heart of the purpose behind any search. In other words, it makes it easier to find out what the searchers intent is, to understand what they're thinking about and how their thought processes develop as they continue to search and to construct search queries.

Keep clicking - you can back up and go in a different direction. Play around and watch as Google gives you more and more keyword directions. The Google Wonder Wheel is so addictive - that's why I've only just gotten around to writing this blog post at stupid o'clock in the morning! Notice also that as you navigate around the Wonder Wheel, your search results on the right will update and change just like they would if you'd typed the phrases you click on directly into Google. A good SEO professional will use the results that are shown in this column for competitive analysis (a really important part of SEO), to find potential link partners, but also to research keyword popularity and find potential affiliates and resellers for their SEO clients.

 Videos

Clicking on Videos on your new Google options on the left will present videos that Google has indexed and ranked as relevant for your keyword search query. You can also sort videos by their play length and by when they were posted.

The same applies to Forums with the option to sort by "relevance" as well as date. Clicking on Reviews presents some really useful informational - and in some cases, product-led - results. These seem to be comprised mainly of reviews (as you'd expect) but also include commerce results, affiliate links and some media links (videos, blogs, images, etc.).

Time sorting

Go back to your results (by clicking All results at the top of the options list) and you'll notice that you can sort these results by time, showing what Google has recently indexed and how recently they indexed it. This is powerful and useful stuff, making it easier than ever to track the progress of web pages throughout an SEO campaign and also to see how Google treat new content and how quickly they update their indexes on certain pages.

 Timelines

The final new Google feature is the Timeline, right down there at the bottom under the Wonder Wheel option. To be strictly accurate, it's not actually new. Google have visited this area in the past, but this is the coolest iteration of what they've done so far. With the timeline, you can pick out important events in your marketplace and look for spikes in web traffic around the keyword phrases relevant to your site and your market.

These new tools should not be underestimated - they are going to be hugely important and if the web plays any part in your sales and marketing strategy, whether it's community building through social media marketing, or selling products or services online or simply generating sales enquiries and brochure requests through your website, I strongly advise that you take a look at these tools and familiarise yourself with them. The next generation of Google search is almost upon us.

In any event, happy searching - don't play with that Wheel for too long!