Blue Arrows Hit Google Instant

Did you notice the blue arrow that’s showing next to the first result in Google’s listings? It’s part of the new keyboard navigation system that rolled out for Google Instant this week. A reader contacted us about the arrow that he started seeing, and that caused me to see them for the first time myself. […]

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Did you notice the blue arrow that’s showing next to the first result in Google’s listings? It’s part of the new keyboard navigation system that rolled out for Google Instant this week.

A reader contacted us about the arrow that he started seeing, and that caused me to see them for the first time myself. Maybe they’ve been there for me since Google’s announcement earlier this week, and I didn’t notice. Maybe it’s part of a wider rollout (I’m checking). But here’s a closer look.

Notice how in a search below, there’s a blue arrow next to the first listing:

Bluearrow

The blue arrow, or blue delta, can be moved using your keyboard arrow or navigation keys. Below, you can see how I’ve “arrowed” my way down to the third listing in another search:

Bluearrow2

The arrow will also appear pointing at ads that are listed, if they’re the first thing on the page:

Credit

Blue arrows don’t appear next to OneBox-style listings:

Bluearrow4

It feels sort of strange to me. Google Instant already focuses so much attention on whatever is at the top of the page that this seems like overkill. But with Google pushing the keyboard navigation option, having some type of marker to help you know where you are in the page makes sense.

Postscript: Google tells me the arrow has been there since earlier this week. I guess I’m just noticing it now finally, along with other people. Also as Webconnoisseur says in the comments below, holding down the enter key will also automatically click and take you to the arrowed results.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Danny Sullivan
Contributor
Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

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