Google's updated search page
Google is revamping its search results page in order to offer easier and clearer access to the different kinds of content searches turn up. Don't worry: it looks as if Google will remain clean and easy to navigate, but the tweaks will spruce up the look and feel while helping users find what they're looking for.
Gone are the easy-to-miss links across the top of the page that point you to images, videos, maps, news, and more when you perform a search query. Google has made over those options and stuck them in an eye-pleasing column on the left side. "Over the past three years, we've launched Universal Search, the Search Options panel and Google Squared, and it’s those three technologies that power the left-hand panel," Google wrote in a blog post.
What does this mean, exactly? Universal Search figures out the most relevant "genre" of content that you're looking for and builds the left-hand column based on what might be of most use to you. Obviously the "Everything" tab would show you all search results, but (for example) if you're searching for a band, you might get more media-heavy suggestions in the left column. Thanks to Search Options, you can also rearrange the options displayed to you—helpful if you want to prioritize something like images, or only the newest results.
The column on the left isn't the only change to Google's results page, but it's the most significant. According to Google, the color palette and logo also got some tweaks, but they're nothing significant. "These changes are slight, keeping our page minimalist and whimsical, but make our overall look more modern," wrote the company.
If you haven't seen the updated site just yet, it's because Google is slowly rolling it out to all users across 37 languages. On top of the regular site, Google is also updating its mobile site for the US, so keep checking back if you want to see what the new changes are all about.
