Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Google’s New Search Page Layout and Its Effect on SEO
Wednesday, May 05, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
You may have noticed a change in your Google search page layout
today. Don't be alarmed - for most users, the changes are so slight
that you may have overlooked them. Certainly, developers and SEO
specialists paid close attention to the altered interface and what
effects it will have on Google's search population.
The company unveiled their latest "metamorphosis" in a blog post this morning, saying the
changes "respond to the increasing richness of the web and the
increasing power of search." The alterations include a contextually
relevant, left-hand navigation to the page. In essence, this is now
a non-collapsible left side panel with the ability to refine your
query. The tools found may be familiar: Universal Search, Search
Options, and Google Squared.
Along with design fixtures, there is new technology. According
to the San Francisco Chronicle, the option of searching through
blogs can be narrowed down to the "last 10 minutes," news to the
last hour, and books to within a century. Picture searches can be
refined based on size, color, and type.
The new design has drawn comparisons to its competitor Bing,
whose left side bar and features have been present since the
beginning.
Google has stated that their new layout benefits the advancement
of the web and its user, while keeping up with "modern" layouts.
Venturebeat.com quotes senior user experience designer Jon
Wiley:
"As the Web becomes a very rich world of content, we have to
respond to its changing nature," Wiley said. "For content
publishers, I think they're in sort of the same place as always.
They've got to make sure they provide the best content."
Over at Mashable.com, which reported seeing the new
design last summer, an article points out that "such changes can
have a significant effect on Google's revenue and page load times."
This, of course, coincides with Google's new integration of "page
load time" into search optimization. For example, they point out
the disappearance of page size with the new design, which may seem
minimal to the common user but gains more speed when less data is
loaded.
Have you started seeing the new page design? Or have you even
noticed it? If anything, what does it add or take away from a
usability standpoint?
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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