Nov 6, 2012 at 7:13pm ET by Matt McGee

That test many of you have been seeing where Google shows its search options above the search results instead of on the left? It's not a test anymore. Google has just confirmed that all U.S. searchers will soon be getting the new interface -- one that highly resembles Google's mobile search results pages. Options to search verticals like Images, News and Maps are moved from the left-side of the page up above the top search results. Here's how the new interface looks, from a screenshot Google provided in its blog post: The advanced search tools and filters are available under the "Sea [...]

Google Mobile’s New Slide Out Black Navigation Bar

Oct 10, 2012 at 5:32pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Google launched a new mobile interface for navigating various Google services. Now if you load Google on your smartphone, you will see a menu icon made up of three lines. When you tap it with your finger, a black navigation bar will slide out from the left of the screen. Here is a screen shot: The navigation bar has an independent scroll from the rest of the page. This allows you to preview the right side of the Google page and scroll up and down the navigation bar to see more Google services. Clicking on the navigation icon will slide the navigation bar back to the left of the s [...]

Google Confirms Hidden Benefit Of Authorship: Bonus Links After A Back-Button Click

Sep 27, 2012 at 9:15am ET by Matt McGee

Google has confirmed that there's a hidden benefit to having authorship status: If a user returns to the search results after reading an author-tagged search result for a certain period of time, Google will add three additional links to similar articles from the same author below the originally clicked link. Say what? A couple visuals will help explain what this is, so follow along. If I do a Google search for "marketing land feedburner," Google shows one of my recent MarketingLand.com articles in the top spot, and it includes my authorship status -- name, avatar, Google+ information, [...]

Google Testing Search Options Listed Above Results, Rather Than To Side

Sep 7, 2012 at 8:48pm ET by Danny Sullivan

Google appears to be testing out a new navigational layout, one that takes the search options that normally show in the left-hand column of a search results page and moving them to above the search results. It seem similar to one that surfaced in June. This is how things normally look: The arrow points to how search options -- the choice to select the type of search such as "web" or "shopping" -- appear to the left of search results. Further down in this column is an option to select "More" search options or to make use of search tools such as limiting searches by date. In the new lay [...]

Google Calculator Gets A Major Upgrade

Jul 26, 2012 at 9:05am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google's calculator results has just got a major upgrade to the answers provided and the user interface. Now when you search Google for a math answer, Google will not only show you the answer but also give you a new interface for the answer, including a full size 34-button scientific calculator. Here is a screen shot: So not only do you get the answer quickly, you can now make additional calculations on the virtual scientific calculator. In addition, when you search for conversion related queries, such as [100 feet to inches] Google will give you a new user interface for that as w [...]

Confirmed: Google’s Expandable Knowledge Graph Test

Jul 25, 2012 at 8:46am ET by Barry Schwartz

Alex Chitu reports Google is testing a new feature for the Google Knowledge Graph. The new feature is a way to show an expanded version of the knowledge graph in the top of the search results. Currently, when you search in Google and the knowledge graph comes up, it shows you up to five related people, books, albums, movies and so on. If you want more, you are out of luck. But with this test, Google is adding an "explore more" more link that gives you a lot more related topics to scroll through right at the top of the page. Here is a picture: As you can see, you can use the arr [...]

New Google Test: Remove The Top Black Bar

Jun 27, 2012 at 9:17am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google is testing yet another user interface test, this one is where the top thin black bar can be removed completely. Tecno-net spotted this earlier and showed that if you can also remove the top black bar by going to this URL. Google added the thin Google black bar back in June 2011 and tried another drop down version a few months after but then went back to the thin black bar. Now you can remove it by adding ?esrch=Agad::Public to the end of the Google URL. Here are pictures with and without he black bar: Google also recently started testing a top bar navigation. [...]

Google’s 2012 Gay Pride Search Bar Ribbon

Jun 25, 2012 at 11:00am ET by Barry Schwartz

In 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 Google showed their support for the Gay and Lesbian community by adding the rainbow colors to the search results. This year is no different for the Gay and Lesbian Pride month. If you search for [gay] or related keywords, Google will show the following ribbon under the search box: Related Stories: Google Adds Gay Rainbow Around Search Box Google Goes Rainbow For Gay-Related Searches Google Supports Gay Pride With Rainbow Colors [...]

Google Testing New Navigation Interface: New Ad Location To Come?

Jun 21, 2012 at 9:23am ET by Barry Schwartz

Some Google users are noticing a new Google search interface with top down navigation, search options and filters. Currently, the search options and navigation are along the left hand side bar. This new interface has those options across the top of the search results. Here is a picture: Here is a video from Tecno-Net on how new interface works: This leaves the question as to what will Google do with all that white space. I mocked up a scenario, out of pure speculation, showing ads on the left and the knowledge graph and Google+ results on the right: Of course, this c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: User Interface | Top News

An Easter Egg For The Qingming Festival On Google

Apr 4, 2012 at 10:46am ET by Barry Schwartz

Searching for the [Qingming Festival] on Google will return a little bit of an easter egg within those search results. Here are pictures: Clicking on the page initiates special animations, including a fish jumping out of the water and back in causing a splash in the water and the man's hand petting the animal. This feature is currently live today and can be replicated on Google.com. Google India announced this on their Google+ page: Have friends, family, colleagues in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan? Wish them a Happy Qingming Festival today! Not sure what this holiday is? Try searc [...]

Google Discussion Forum Snippets Now Showing “Top Answers”

Mar 28, 2012 at 8:53am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google has expanded the search descriptions to show the "top answer" and sometimes the "question" for discussion forum like search results. For example, a search for ["incoming search terms"] in Google returns results from Google Groups and StackOverflow and in those snippets, it shows the "top answer" listed in the forum. Here is a picture: Both these forums support the functionality of labeling an answer to the question as a "top answer." Google is clearly picking up on that, structuring the data as such and then displaying that directly in the search results. This is all likel [...]

Google Testing Toggle For Search Options & Tools In Search Results

Mar 27, 2012 at 5:27pm ET by Barry Schwartz

Google is testing a new user interface feature for the search results where they hide the search tools and options from the left hand side and let you toggle them open and close with a click of a mouse. Michel Wester spotted this and posted a video and screen shots of how it works. Here are screen shots of it first closed and then opened after clicking on it: Here is a video of it in action: Google often tests user interfaces and sometimes those tests are rolled out to everyone using Google search. Related Stories: Google Mobile Tests Large Black Menu Drop Down Ba [...]

Google Mobile Tests Large Black Menu Drop Down Bar

Feb 27, 2012 at 9:24am ET by Barry Schwartz

Despite Google moving away from the large black navigation menu on the web version, it seems like they are testing that exact same version on the mobile version of Google. Alex Chitu posted screen shots of Google testing the new large black drop down menu on Google mobile. Here are pictures: The second image shows how the "more" option overlays those more options over the first set of options. What do you think of this user interface on a smartphone screen? Related Stories: Google Moves Away From Large Navigation Drop Down Menu Google’s New Black Menu Bar Is Now [...]

Concert Rich Snippets: List Your Ticket Sale Site Under Band Web Sites

Feb 24, 2012 at 9:29am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google announced they are now showing concert rich snippets on band web sites so that you can see upcoming concerts and even book them on ticket sales web sites. The results will show you upcoming concert tour dates in your area right on the results page under the band's web site. Here is a picture: The interesting part is there aren't many rich snippets markup that show up on third-party web sites. Normally, when you add rich snippets to your web site, Google will list those rich snippets only on the page that has the markup on it. Here, Google is listing third-party web sites ri [...]

Google Moves Away From Large Navigation Drop Down Menu

Feb 10, 2012 at 9:22am ET by Barry Schwartz

A few months ago, Google introduced a new navigation bar that was black and very large. It was part of the Google+ changes across Google's properties. Last night, Google announced yet another change to that top bar navigation. The most noticeable change is that most of the main search options are back at the top, placing the less 'important' search options in a more menu. This new user interface is a lot like the previous Google look, but keeping with the Google+ features at the top right. Here are before and after pictures. Before: After: Google said they made these c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: User Interface

Google Adds Christmas & Hanukkah Decorations To Search Results

Dec 21, 2011 at 3:11pm ET by Barry Schwartz

If you go to Google and search for variations of either [christmas] or [hanukkah], you will see Google has dressed up the search results page with holiday decorations. The Christmas version shows Christmas ornaments hanging from the top bar: The Hanukkah version shows Jewish stars across the top bar: In the past they placed these decorations as a border for separating the AdWords ads and the free organic results. Hanukkah started last night and Christmas is just around the corner. I still do not see any decorations for [kwanzaa] - but that might come soon. Postscript [...]

Google’s Let It Snow Easter Egg

Dec 19, 2011 at 10:04am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google has a new easter egg for the winter holiday season - search for [let it snow] and Google will turn the search results page into a powdery snow covered set of search results. The search results will become so hard to see that you will instinctively want to wipe the screen clean with your hand. Instead, use the mouse and it will help you wipe off the snow. Don't have any patience for that? No worries, click the "Defrost" button at the top and the snow will melt away. Finally, you can draw shapes in the snow and share them on Google+ with your friends. Here is a video of it in act [...]

Google +1 Button Hides In Search Results

Dec 12, 2011 at 9:37am ET by Barry Schwartz

Google Operating System blog reports Google has changed the behavior of the Google +1 button as seen in the Google search results. Instead of the +1 button being displayed by default, it is now hidden until you place your mouse cursor over the search result. Then the +1 button will show up and let you click on it. Here is a picture of the animation seen when you mouse over the search result, which brings up the +1 button and the right gray arrow bar on the right of the search result: Then when you mouse over the +1 button, it will turn blue and when you click on it, it remains blu [...]

Google’s New Black Menu Bar Is Now Google’s Old Black Menu Bar

Nov 29, 2011 at 6:58pm ET by Matt McGee

Google might like to apologize to those of you who are just now getting accustomed to the new black menu bar that appears at the top of most Google properties. You know, the one that just launched at the end of June? Well, skip that. As the saying goes, what's new is old. The black menu bar is gone. Or will be soon. Google has announced a new Google Bar that sits in the same horizontal space as Google's logo and search bar. I'm not seeing it yet in my searches, nor are others at Search Engine Land HQ, but here's a sneak peek from Google's blog post: Why the change? According to [...]

Google+ Is Slowly Invading Google’s Main Search Results

Nov 25, 2011 at 2:37pm ET by Matt McGee

Google+ content is slowly -- but very surely -- expanding its footprint inside of Google.com's main search results. The latest integration comes via the rel=author tag that Google's been supporting since the summer. Mike Blumenthal tipped us to this latest change, which may (or may not) still be in testing. Here's how it works for me, which -- as I'll explain below -- is slightly different from what Mike B. is seeing. When a search result with rel=author appears in Google's search results, the author's avatar and the adjacent byline both now link to a new Google search results pa [...]

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