Last week, Google launched a new results page layout, giving searchers a variety of options to the left of the search results. The changes are primarily to the layout and styling and are intended to provide an even richer search experience for users. While the search options panel has been available since 2009, this is the first time Google included it in the default view for all users.
While the changes seem minor, many feel that the changes go against Google’s simple way of presenting information. Some posts in Google’s forum describe it as “shocking and horrible”. Google has stated that the new layout is still a work in progress.
We polled our team to see if the new layout is useful for searches and the team was pretty split. I guess time will tell…
Update: We encourage you to check out the full Google Latest Results Page POV prepared by Steve Rose and Sam Hailstone, SEO Engineers from the Razorfish UK Office!
Tags: Google, google latest results page pov, Ilya Cherepakhin, sam hailstone, search, SEO, SERPs, steve rose
May 17th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Search is evolving and Google has to evolve. Expecting them to keep it the way it was would be the equivalent of when the US auto industry kept making SUVs and Hummers while the Japanese made cars people actually wanted to drive and that saved money.
May 17th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Justin,
If you take poor sales of US autos as evidence that US automakers weren’t providing what customers wanted, you should assume the opposite about Google, which is approaching 80% search market share. By your logic, they shouldn’t change anything because clearly they’re providing what customers want.
–Adam
May 20th, 2010 at 12:26 am
I think you misunderstand my logic. Ford and Chevy had similar market dominance until the 2000s when US consumers stopped buying their product and shifted to where the market evolved.
There are many other corollaries, even in the online space (AOL, Internet Explorer) that have shown that market dominance and lack of innovation are not long term recipes for success. Google is smart enough to understand that, which is why they evolve. They might be providing what users want now because users don’t understand alternatives, or one hasn’t been invented yet. But it will. The same way hybrids and fuel efficiency changed the US auto market.