A few months after both Yahoo! and Microsoft updated their search engine interfaces, Google are testing a new look for their homepage. Major changes include Google going over to the three pane design currently sported by Yahoo! and Bing. This means that the search options column will remain permanently open to the left of the search results, with ads on the right.
Smaller changes include the integration of the search button into the search bar itself, although that may not go ahead. Google Vice President of Search Product and User Experience Marissa Mayer said of the alteration:
“That’s has been one thing that’s drawn the most ire. If the ire continues that may be one of the first thing that changes.”
The new interface will be seen by a random selection of about 1-3% of Google users for an estimated period of six weeks.
Should tests be successful, users should see the updated version appear at some stage in the New Year. However, if you are not one of the chosen testers or you do not wish to wait until the New Year, you can see the proposed changes by going to the Google homepage, pasting the following HTML into the address bar, then hitting return. Make sure you enter it without the spaces.
java script:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=20b6e4c2f44943bb:U=4bf292d46faad806:TM=
1249677602:LM=1257919388:S=odm0Ys-53ZueXfZG;path=/; domain=.google.com");
Source: Search Engine Land
About the author: Hannah Miller
SEO Manager – Hannah MillerHannah manages a team of SEO experts in the 4Ps office. She is a specialist in technical aspects effecting SEO.