New Google SERPs Layout Goes Into Effect

[londrum]

Continued from: [webmasterworld.com...]

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maybe i'm just a bit behind the times, but i noticed that the google UK page has changed.
when you do a search you get a result page with 3 columns. you've now got navigation along the top and the lefthand side too.

thing i noticed was the new 'page previews' option. it always winds me up when google use our content for their own purposes. and this page preview option just seems like more of that.
they have doubled the size of the usual snippet/description to about 10 lines. it's pretty much the entire opening paragraph from each site.

if you do a search for a question, then the chances are that those 10 lines (or 100 lines if you include all sites on the page) will include the answer.

... i mean, what is the point of an extra 'page preview'? the snippet is supposed to give you a preview, and if you want to see more you click through to the site. but now google are trying to capture those clicks. they are still giving you the snippet, but if you want to see more you can just click their preview instead and stay with them. they want to keep as many people at google for as long as possible, that's what it's all about.

they keep pushing the fence further back and back down our garden, until eventually they'll be camped out on our whole lawn.

[edited by: Brett_Tabke at 7:20 pm (utc) on May 6, 2010]

[brotherhood of LAN]

I also see the new version. One thing I don't like is they've removed the dictionary links for keywords. I often used the toolbar in FF to quickly check spelling of words.

Other than that, I guess the layout will just take a week of getting used to.

[moTi]

they have doubled the size of the usual snippet/description to about 10 lines.

can't confirm that. snippets haven't changed in size for me.

what i find a bit irritating at the first glance, is that the options on the top left row and on the left column are essentially the same. why would one do that?

[tedster]

they have doubled the size of the usual snippet/description to about 10 lines.

This change was introduced in March 2010. It depends on the length of the query.

Longer snippets

When you enter a longer query, with more than three words, regular-length snippets may not give you enough information and context. In these situations, we now increase the number of lines in the snippet to provide more information and show more of the words you typed in the context of the page.

Google Blog [googleblog.blogspot.com]

[carguy84]

Why can't I minimize the left column? I really don't like having the search results so far over to the right.

I'm assuming they're going to start putting in more ads on the left column.

Mind as well finish the MFA look and feel...

[EvilSaint]

I started a similar thread a few days ago about the results we are seeing here in Australia with the roll out of the new interface...

If anyone is curious
[webmasterworld.com ]

[drall]

lmao, just throw in the Bing image and its Bing, related search at the bottom and all. I sense some very real concern about Bing over at the plex.

This thread should be labeled Googles new Bing layout goes into effect!

[venice]

I was seeing this all day and wondering if it was my firefox settings. The blinking cursor is a bit annoying and appears slightly off center, at least from my view.

[Reno]

Like almost everyone else here, my concern is one thing and one thing only: How will this new format affect my clickthroughs? If today is any indication, it may be a disaster.

Now having said that, I certainly know that one should not make sweeping generalities based on one day's stats. I also realize that this is brand new and maybe there will be tweaks/refinements that will bring things back closer to normal. I'll be more than a little curious to see if we get reports from other webmasters in this regards. Hopefully it will all settle out in the coming days, but my fear is if this drop in clickthrough trend holds, many of us will look back on this latest Google decision as a severe blow to our online businesses.

Yes Tedster is right in saying it is imperative to have multiple traffic channels, but let's not be coy -- Google has been the 6 lane interstate, and getting enough secondary roads to make up for them will be for many of us difficult if not impossible.

Today's development is yet another example of why it is SO dangerous to have one company so thoroughly dominate the world of search. That's been said here a gazillion times -- they sneeze, and the rest of us get pneumonia.

......................

[tedster]

Google has been the 6 lane interstate

We could extend that metaphor a bit - the first served organic SERP may be one or two lanes of the Google highway (OK, three) but there are other lanes as well that are worth looking at - even from Google.

One example out of many - for a long time our member zeus has been one the few who watches Image Search like a hawk [webmasterworld.com] and profits from ranking there. With this new Google interface it becomes even easier for users to access Image Search.

And if you think you need to have a photography website to make it work for you, I can tell you there's no limitation here like that. Any offering where visual appearance matters, and that can include simple news, can benefit from image traffic.

Something Different

There's been little mention so far of the category at the bottom of the left side: Something Different. This is a relatively new feature altogether, rolled out about a week ago:

Discovering pages “similar to” ones that you like [googleblog.blogspot.com]

[Reno]

Very good tip re Zeus & image search. I've always done a decent job at that but I'm wondering if I'm working under 1996 rules, which is to say, I'm keeping my alt tags fairly short. Do you or does anyone know what the current thinking is in regards to the length of image alt tags? (number of words or number of characters). I have a feeling that if I go back and make them a bit longer & more descriptive, it will be time well spent. But prior to doing that, would like to know the parameters. Thanks for any guidance....

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[dreamcatcher]

It appeared yesterday and then briefly went back to the old layout before coming back to the new. Pity there isn`t an option to turn the left menu off. Everytime they make a change it gets worse.

dc

[idolw]

I preferred the old look not only as a webmaster but as a user, too.

Too many colours for me.

[macas]

Central Europe confirms new changes on Google interface.On FF browser and IE browser too .

And Official announcement:

[googleblog.blogspot.com ]

[drall]

Clickthrough is way down for alot of our sites. Wow what can happen in just a couple months, traffic cut, adsense cut, clickthrough cut.

Glad I spent years following the rules.

[Whitey]

There must be some reasoning behind Google's move.

Google looks as though it's commerical objectives are to put added encouragement on users to use the left hand menu filters , and in so doing , weaken further trophy terms . It's like a dialing up another notch from the past where the filter menu's were quite weak.

It's probably not good for folks depending on SEO for traffic.

btw - i don't like the new interface as a user

[Reno]

I hate to be so thoroughly cynical but I do not see this "broken" Google as an accidental mis-step -- they are too smart for that. This was calculated. With so many of us sinking like stones, we will inevitably be forced with the decision to either use AdWords for the first time, or, to dramatically increase our current AdWords account in a (probably) vain attempt to recapture the previous traffic numbers.

I sadly share drall's conclusion -- doing it right for many years is (at this moment at least) working against us. I hope that changes REAL soon but I have my doubts. I really want to be wrong about the "doubt" part, but as I said, it's difficult for me to believe this was not carefully thought out. Those of us in trouble must immediately do as Tedster and others have said -- hustle to find new avenues. They may not make up for Google but they may patch the boat enough so we don't end up at the bottom of the river ... which I'm sorry to say is where many of us are headed.

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[tedster]

It is not only calculated, it was tested intensively on a gradually increasing scale over many months. We can only assume that the stats they saw as they moved this new interface along with tweak after tweak are now what they feel are good.

It seems very clear that one intention is to encourage users to explore the left hand functionality. All those "options" must have been essentially unused when you needed to switch them on using the small link at the top of the previous interface.

In fact, comments here show that many were previously unaware of previously available functionality like the Wonder Wheel and Date Range.

When anything changes that's such a regular part of my day, it takes some time for me to adapt. I know I am resistant to change - for instance I hated the current Google favicon when it was first launched, but within a few days I appreciated it.

The feedback I'm hearing from non-search-geeks has been essentially positive, and possibly a bit underwhelmed! The attitude seems to be "what are you so fired up about?" I guess I'm too close to the situation to see it with any objectivity.

[ddogg]

I don't care for it. I would not want to use the left side for the majority of my searches so it's just a waste of space. Results are less clean now.

No way to remove it either.

[civgroup]

How do you turn that useless left sidebar off?

I can't imagine creating something like that on one of my sites and failing to put at least a javascript '<<' on there to let users collapse it.

[Reno]

I guess I'm too close to the situation to see it with any objectivity.

Most of the non-geeks are looking at things from one point of view, and we see it from another, which is clickthrough rates and $$ sales, both of which are plummeting for many of us since this launch. That does not mean the CTR is falling for everyone, but the comments on this forum and at other online venues make it clear that many webmasters are being hit hard. This is close to disastrous unless it straightens itself out in the coming days. I have my fingers crosssed, but am not holding my breath, as Google sees it all from a point of view different from either the non-geeks or the webmasters. If they see an increase in AdWord revenue, bonuses will no doubt be paid out, and everyone will be smiling at the Plex. The rest of us will have to pick up the pieces of what's left...

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[aakk9999]

Interestingly, I cannot see "More shopping sites" and "Less shopping sites" on German, Italian and some other central european Google versions, even though I am seeing 3 column layout.

[Whitey]

@Reno

both of which are plummeting for many of us since this launch. That does not mean the CTR is falling for everyone

What specifically do you believe is causing the traffic to drop ? t's a bit early to tell , but I haven't seen much change ( yet ).

[OnlineConnect]

i been getting this layout on and off for some time. The new graphical one I am now getting however I don't like this one as much as the first one that used time to define search as in 24 hours, 1 week etc but I guess it depends on the user. Maybe because I am doing a lot of article research rather than shopping I class time factor as more important. Overall I would say its an improvement though despite my gripes, and thats not opinion its because I use it.

[Interent Yogi]

Google.co.nz it using the new layout

[Reno]

What specifically do you believe is causing the traffic to drop?

Sometimes in the discussions here, we are comparing apples & oranges. Some of us sell products directly to customers; some of us are affiliate based, so we sell products for other merchants; some offer information; some have forum/blog sites; some of us are in highly competitive fields, others are niche; etc etc.

For my own sites, the field is fairly competitive so I need to come up and be visible in the search results. Thus, when the real estate shrinks, it will make an impact for visitor count unless I remain on Page 1. If I get pushed to page 2, I might as well be invisible. I'm sure that's true for many if not most of us. So to answer your question, I would refer to the screenshots that Tedster referenced at SiliconAngle [siliconangle.com]

As Mark Hopkins says, the results "speak for themselves" -- the old layout gave me a shot, the new layout significantly shrinks the "actual links" visibility, and I can feel it. Bigtime.

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[graeme_p]

With so many of us sinking like stones, we will inevitably be forced with the decision to either use AdWords for the first time, or, to dramatically increase our current AdWords account in a (probably) vain attempt to recapture the previous traffic numbers.

Your lost traffic must be going somewhere, so why should Google profit net. This is not like the Bing sidebar which can direct people to particular sites (e.g. the Bing hosted copy of Wikipedia, and other things on site). Google only encourages people to try different searches.

[Ahkamden]

So no one still has any suggestions how to turn it off?

I did the Bing vs Google comparison in other thread. And I'm no fan of Google but their results were more applicable for what I was looking for.

In my case, giving up top .5-2%(if that) of viewing space for a header with options was worthwhile. Does anyone have suggestions on another search engine? My monitor real estate is now being seriously wasted(By both "major" engines). And things I'm looking for are being forced from my normal starting view of left to right.

Now everytime I look left I see wasted space. Until "featured" listings/options are going to end up there I'm guessing. Because it's natural for many readers eyes to end up there.

[TheMadScientist]

We did a study and people conducted less searches when the page loaded slower... Here at Google we're all about speed... We're going to make speed part of the algo now... Then we're going to slow our site down to load a bunch of images and not even take proper screen captures of the sites we show, but rather re-size, take out of context and otherwise manipulate the images we've slowed our site down to show people look like garbage.

- Google
(Actions Speak Louder Than Words Most of the Time.)

I like they idea but the way they've done it and the contradictions in what they dictate and do keep me from being very excited about anything they do or having anything very nice to say about them. Glad they finally figured out the web happens in color, but what's the deal with putting some slow loading images that don't even look right for quite a few sites on right after all the speed bs?

IMO They're going to keep fixing things until they're really broken...

[johnmoose]

Here in Europe the layout changed like three days ago and I must say that I think its an improvement. We will have to wait and see what it does for the search results..

[nomis5]

Good or bad for income, I don't know yet, too soon to judge.

Comparing the Google page to the Bing page, it looks like Google have made significant steps towards the Bing layout. That is worrying for Google as I see it.

Change is necessary always, but innovation is more important. Simply copying your poor relative's ideas is a recipe for disaster. Google now need to come up with some different ideas if they are to stay ahead of Bing. Something I never thought I would say. If they can't come up with different ideas then revert back to the simple claen cut interface they have had for years.