Search box gone from bottom of the SERPS

[londrum]

i don't mind google's new ajax-style SERPS so much, but one thing that i find annoying is that they've removed the search box from the bottom of the SERPs.

we used to have one at the top and another at the bottom, so if you scrolled through the Top 10 and couldn't find what you needed then we could amend your search term.
but now the only way we can do that is to scroll all the way back up to the top of the page.

call me an old cynic, but i reckon the reason they've done this is to force people to scroll back up to where the ads are located. it's all about the ads.

the new ajax-style SERPS deliver new ads everytime we add a letter to your search term, massively increasing the number of ads they can put in front of our eyes before we click off the page.
but if we enter a search term into the bototm box then this advantage is gone - because the ads are hidden off screen.
by removing the box they make us scroll all the way back up to the top for another dose of AdWords when we amend the search term.

this is a good example of google trying to increase their advertising profit at the expense of delivering ease of use to their users. i can't think of any other reason why they'd remove the extra search bar.

its a totally dopey strategy, because if google swaps ease of use for a few extra bucks in their bank account then their user share will inevitably decline -- lowering the bucks in their bank account. what they gain with one hand they lose with the other.

[enigma1]

we used to have one at the top and another at the bottom

with the .com yes there is only at the top, the .co.uk still has the 2nd search edit box same goes for the .ca.

i reckon the reason they've done this is to force people to scroll back up to where the ads are located. it's all about the ads.

Most likely and so you block the js and cookies and there you go. No more junk.

[SEOLair]

Using Google instant if their was a search box on bottom the instant results wouldn't display because everything is above. It wouldn't be user friendly....and seeing the ads again doesn't hurt either :)

[londrum]

that implies that it wasn't user-friendly before. because that's how it worked before they changed it.

the way it is now, you still have to type in your new query, but you also have to scroll back up to the top of the page.

[tedster]

If you're already at the bottom of the page, then there's no screen real estate to display the instant results as they change, You'd be seeing #8, 9 and 10 change rather than the top results. I never gave this a second thought. It sounds like a necessary but basic usability change required by Instant.

[enigma1]

If you're already at the bottom of the page, then there's no screen real estate to display the instant results

Why not? the list-box could display above the edit box. There are no restrictions how you code it.

[londrum]

-tedster: thats my point, yup. but thats no reason to remove the extra search box, which is useful to users.

what im trying to say is, this whole ajax thing has got nothing to do with usability -- it's all to do with getting more ads in front of your eyes.

with this new move they can show another five ads every time we type an extra letter in the search box.
so they dont want us typing into the bottom search box anymore, because the new ads are off-screen.

more ads, at the expense of usability -- thats my point. they are on their way down the slippery slope to 2nd place.

[tedster]

Sorry, I don't follow the train of thought. First, I'm not seeing any boost in clicks to the PPC accounts I have access to. If that was the goal, it's not helping these accounts.

And second, Google certainly knows that an ad has very little value unless it is targeted - and most of the ads you see early on in typing a query are NOT very targeted.

[londrum]

well if that's true, then google must also know that the serps have very little value unless they are targeted - and most of the results you see early on in typing a query are not very targeted.

its the same thing, the serps and ads are joined together at the hip.

if the ads are not targeted very well when you start typing then neither are the serps.

there must be another reason why they've done it.
... it's to get more ads in front of your eyes.
thats why they've removed the search box

[McMohan]

It sounds like a necessary but basic usability change required by Instant

Not necessarily Ted. Before Instant, Google had search suggestions only for the top search box, while the bottom one had none. Why can't Google keep the bottom box as a plain vanilla search box now?

[tedster]

I hadn't thought about it that way. I think I would personally appreciate it.

I often use the Opera browser for search, and Google hasn't yet supported Opera for Instant Search. The bottom search box is still there, pre-populated with your original search but Suggestions are turned off.

But the funny thing is, I rarely worry about which browser I'm using unless I'm in research mode. Either interface is OK for me because I've already tuned out the instant results, just like I tune out banner ads.