Google Testing a Revamp of the Search Results Page
March 1, 2010
Update 2: One of my co-workers is seeing the new SERPs:
Update: Danny Sullivan reports that "slight variations" of this design are "live in the wild," and "still being shown to a randomly selected group of people," and that Google doesn't have an expected launch date for a complete roll-out.
Original Article (11/19): Google is testing a new user interface for its search options feature. If you are unfamiliar with the search options feature, it is the link on your search results page that says "show options" and brings up a menu on the left-hand side of the screen providing a number of ways to filter your results.
According to Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land, a "small number" of Google users will see the new interface starting today. The aim of the new interface is to provide users with a cleaner display. Sullivan says that if the testing goes well, Google may roll it out after the New Year. He quotes Google's Marissa Mayer as saying, "We're basically looking at a new look and feel for Google. It's an overall cleaning up of the search engine results page."
Do you think Google's results pages need a new look and feel? Talk to ArisYulianta and Friends... what you think.
Images of this new look and feel look strangely familiar - similar to that of a certain "decision engine." Take a look:
Of course, the Google's search options and Bing have been compared in the past (and other search engines utilize a similar design too for that matter), in terms of the general layout. Their functionalities differ on various levels. It's important to note that this will just be how the search results pages will look, without having to click the search options link to get to it. There has been discussion in the past about how much users actually use Google's search options, simply because the feature is easy to overlook. Such a change would put the options right in your face.
Besides being visually different, the options themselves are different in some areas. For example, a "see also" section has been added, which suggests related queries. There is also a section called "show search tools," which now contains things like the Wonder Wheel, Timeline View, and "more shopping sites."
Google may start messing around with the top navigation on search results pages next year, but the company has acknowledged that it works well right now. It will be interesting to see the change in use of this top navigation if the left-hand options go mainstream.
What do you think of this re-working of Google's search results pages? Do you want to see it go mainstream, or do you like it better how it is right now? Share your thoughts.
Have You Read This?
> Google Launches Search Options
> Google Presents New Image Search Options
> Google's Search Options Increase
Google Eases Retrieval of Sidewiki Entries for Entire Sites
November 13, 2009
Google has announced the release of a new feature for the Sidewiki API, which the company says makes it easier to retrieve all Sidewiki entries for an entire domain. It allows you to look for new entries created on any page of a site, and subscribe to them via RSS.
If you are unfamiliar with Sidewiki, it is available as part of the Google Toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer or as a bookmarklet for Chrome, Safari, or other browsers that don't support the Google Toolbar.
When using Sidewiki, an expandable window can be viewed on the left-hand side of the web page. When expanded, you can see comments by users or contribute your own. This works for any web page. There is a good chance that your site has been commented on via Sidewiki, and you don't even know about it.
This actually brings up a pretty good reputation management point. If you are a webmaster, you may want to at least install the bookmarklet in your browser if you don't use the Google Toolbar. This will allow you to keep tabs on what is being written about your site.
These comments are out there for other Sidewiki users to view. More information about how Sidewiki works can be found here. Google has created a top ten list of ways that people are already using Sidewiki. It may give you some ideas:
- Jason Young speaks from personal experience and gives detailed insight into tuning a bass guitar on EMG's Bass Tips site.
- Antony Carthy, a programmer in South Africa, wrote tips on how to find latitude and longitude coordinates on Google Maps.
- Google's own Matt Cutts warns visitors about a deceptive website.
- Shalin Gala of PETA calls on readers to sign a petition next to an article about animal mistreatment.
- Ron Burk suggests a missing reference for a medical article.
- The Mayo Clinic uses Sidewiki to welcome visitors with a special webmaster entry on its homepage (this one requires Sidewiki to view).
- Jesse Poe from New York offers up great insights in a review of an iPhone app by Daniel Johnston, one of his favorite musicians.
- Alfonso Grandis from Italy talks about his eye-witness account of a recent earthquake.
- David Davis, a software engineer from California, improves a snippet of code in a programming tutorial.
- Michael Roizen from the Cleveland clinic adds his advice about H1N1 vaccinations.
Google recommends commenters contribute expert insight, helpful tips, background information, and added perspective when using SideWiki. The company has said in the past that it uses "multiple signals" based on the "quality of the entry," what they know about the author, and other user-contributed signals like voting and flagging. They say they want to only keep the most relevant entries appearing in the sidebar.
Have You Read This?
> Google Turning the Web Into an Exclusive Social Network?
> You No Longer Need the Google Toolbar to Use Sidewiki
> Want to Get Your Google Profile Verified?
Google Makes Improvements to Movie Showtime Searches
November 12, 2009
Google has launched some new improvements to its movie showtimes search feature. These include more movie pages, genre filters, and a new map view.
If you search for a movie and click the "more theaters" link in the showtimes listing, you will be taken to a more thorough page about that movie, including more showtimes, reviews, trailers, photos, etc. You can also see a list of new genre filters to search by on the left-hand side of the screen.
If you go to google.com/movies, you can find a list of all the theaters and showtimes in your area. The map view feature lets you see nearby theaters playing specific films.
It is worth noting that Microsoft's Bing search engine already has very similar features when you search for movies on there. It utilizes MSN movies, and has movie pages with trailers, reviews, photos, etc. It also has a map view feature. Google appears to have it beat on the genre listings feature, however.
Do you use Google (or Bing) to find movie showtimes when you go out? Do you find the new features helpful? Comment here.
Have You Read This?
> YouTube Scopes Out Concept Of Movie Rentals
> Bing Gets a Bunch of New Search Features
You No Longer Need the Google Toolbar to Use Sidewiki
October 30, 2009
Last month, Google introduced Sidewiki, a feature of the Google Toolbar that allows users to comment on any page on the web. The comments could only be viewed by others who have the toolbar and the feature installed. That was until now.
Google has now introduced a Sidewiki bookmarklet that can be used to read and write Sidewiki entries with Google Chrome, Safari, and other browsers. The bookmarklet is just a shortcut that goes in the bookmarks bar of you browser, and when you click it, it opens up a window showing Sidewiki entries for whatever page you're on.
When using Sidewiki, an expandable window can be viewed on the left-hand side of the webpage. When expanded, you can see the comments that have been written or contribute your own.
Upon introducing Sidewiki, Google said it uses "multiple signals" based on the "quality of the entry," what they know about the author, and other user-contributed signals like voting and flagging. They say they want to only keep the most relevant entries appearing in the sidebar. Search Engine Land's Danny Sullivan says Google gave him a few other factors like:
- Use of sophisticated language
- User's reputation
- User's history
Users' Google Profiles are said to play a direct role in whether or not comments appear. Google ranks profiles in a PageRank-like manor, so the higher you profile is ranked, the more likely your comments are able to appear.
Have You Read This?
> Google Turning the Web Into an Exclusive Social Network?
> Integration - The Key to Google as a Social Network
> Want to Get Your Google Profile Verified?
