New segmented Google search result page layout

[JS_Harris]

Is anyone else seeing a new layout for Google Serps?

I see a border around each result along with spacing between each result to clearly separate each position. It looks very.... mobile. The ads up top also have a border around them, it's now very unlikely that you'll mistake #1 in serps for an ad.

I wonder what kind of impact this will have on CTR. Each result looks like an ad actually.

[Wilburforce]

Not (yet?) on UK desktop.

[EditorialGuy]

I haven't seen it, either. It's probably only a small-scale test.

[Rasputin]

I have seen it, also another version with a full size youtube video result i.e. the video result (result number 2, after 1 normal result and 4 ads) is the full width of the results, about 2/3 of the screen height and the whole video is played and viewed within the results and without leaving the page (query was related to completing a diy task)

[JS_Harris]

It was only active for about an hour and now I see the old serps again. While active I did do a search for a small kitchen appliance. It looks like the new borders(very light colors, something near #F2F2F2 I believe) and spacing between each entry will work to stretch the results page vertically a little further. example:

Generic product search result:(to give you an idea about spacing)
- Affiliate link section with images(has border and spacing too)
- ad
- ad
- ad
---------- bottom of screen on desktop -------------
- ad
---------- bottom of screen on mobile ---------------
- result #1
- result #2 etc

A handful of other shopping terms also did not have any results above the fold, only informational queries did.


The ad sections have a yellow square with the word 'ad' in them but otherwise look identical to results. Sorry I didn't grab a screenshot, I will if I see it again unless someone else does first. What I found interesting is that the mobile feel results appeared the same on mobile and desktop.

[JS_Harris]

It's back, I haven't seen any Google announcements about the layout but here it is

[s33.postimg.org...]

edit: I missed the news a week ago apparently, SEJ posted about 'Card Based Layouts' after a couple of reddit users shared snapshots. [searchenginejournal.com...]

Like it? Hate it? Other?

[MrSavage]

I'm just about ready for a new search engine.

[superclown2]

I saw it fleetingly last week. It only lasted a few minutes. There was more space between the entries so organic SERPs were pushed further down below the fold. Looked neat though.

[30K_a_month]

I saw it last week, it was terrible, its gone now..

[aakk9999]

I saw it just now on google.de but only on Firefox browser where so far it has been persistant regardless of what I am searching for.

Tried the same search on google.de in Chrome, IE and Opera and it showed the old SERPs design.

[Robert Charlton]

It only lasted a few minutes. There was more space between the entries so organic SERPs were pushed further down below the fold. Looked neat though.

It's very likely that Google is testing the effects of entry spacing with regard to organic click-throughs.

Mobile vs desktop user studies that I've seen... apart from Google... suggest that scrolling is often faster on mobile devices, and that it happens sooner. Mobile scrolling also generally goes deeper. Device and connection types, and user demographics, are all likely to be factors.

Though some studies suggest that there's greater user information retention associated with this faster scrolling, I've watched many mobile users scroll right past a lot of material I'd expect them to see. My initial thought is that one of the things Google wants to determine is whether increasing the space between its entries might increase the clicks on mobile serps.

I'm sure that Google is also looking at the relationship of scroll depth, spacing, and where the fold is, among other things. I can't help thinking that Google might also be looking at whether serp style sheets, personalized for device types and users, would eventually be a more uniform experience than the same styles seen under many widely different conditions.

[glakes]

Thanks for the screenshot JS Harris. From the image you uploaded, all I can say is that the layout looks like pure spam.

[Robert Charlton]

JS Harris... I had missed that top-of-the-page screen capture when I posted.

From the image you uploaded, all I can say is that the layout looks like pure spam.

I agree. I can't see them keeping that.

It's nothing like what I've seen so far, on either FF or Chrome.

[aakk9999]

It does not look spammy for non-commercial searches.

Here is this boxed layout: [i.imgur.com...]
Here is the same search with the current layout: [i.imgur.com...]
And here is a comparison side by side: [i.imgur.com...]

The current SERP six entries can only fit 5 entries of the boxed layout.

It does look more tidy though.

[JS_Harris]

Agreed aakk.

If you need free traffic from search you might do well to see how many ads and other features are being displayed in natural results before embarking in that niche. Being able to rank above the fold is flatly impossible for some terms and increasingly difficult for others due to layout, even before you prepare to navigate all of the things a webmaster has to consider.

[Swanny007]

I'm just about ready for a new search engine.

You can count the # of times I've used Google for search in the last year on one hand. I switched to DuckDuckGo. You should try it. You can even turn ads off in search results... LOL try that with Google.

[EditorialGuy]

I agree with aakk9999. In the supplied example, it looks fine. The existing layout looks fine, too. It boils down to personal taste, like the use (or non-use) of column rules and horizontal lines in a newspaper.