Google Search launches updated mobile design and interface

Google is rolling out a new design for its mobile search results. The updated interface aims to make the search interface easier to read for searchers while providing a cleaner and more modern experience, the company said. The new look has begun rolling out and will continue to roll out over the coming days.

What is new. Google has updated the fonts, shapes, and colors of the mobile search experience. This includes updated looks for their knowledge panels and for the main search result snippets.

What it looks like. Below, you can compare the before and afters of each design. Here’s what the new mobile knowledge panel looks like:

The difference between the old and new mobile search result snippets is subtle. Here’s what they look like:

More on these changes. Google has been testing these new design layouts for several months now. I spotted this in October 2020 and variations of these tests in December 2020. Google told us these were the reasons for the changes:

• Easier to read search results. We made sections and labels larger and clearer to help you find what you’re looking for, faster. 
• A cleaner, simpler design. We made improvements to sections and results card designs to create more white space so you can focus on the content that matters.
• A more modern experience. We created a fresh new look for Search that’s simple, friendly, and approachable. 

“We wanted to take a step back to simplify a bit so people could find what they’re looking for faster and more easily,” said Aileen Cheng, visual design lead at Google, “I find it really refreshing. To me, it’s a breath of fresh air!” she added.

Why we care. With any design change to the Google search results, there may be changes to searcher behavior. You may notice changes in the clicks and traffic from Google mobile search to your site. Keep that in mind when reviewing your analytics over the next couple of weeks.

And, of course, you can expect to hear complaints from Google searchers, because whenever Google releases even the smallest change to its search results, there are complaints.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.