Internet Marketing Trends: Will new Google popups change Web design?

Mike Hanbery - 11.16.2010 5:55 AM

(Or: Google changes aren't permanent; but change is.)

Must be a day with a "y" in it. Google changed something. And once again, they didn't call first to ask if it was okay. Harumph.

A few weeks ago, most users started noticing the merge of local and organic. Notice how, on the picture, the map thumbtacks accompany the organic listing. That's pretty cool. All that much more important now to have a Google Places page for your business.

Where's the big map, you ask? It's on the right column, hidden behind the popup window showcasing the Website.

See what I did there? So, now, yeah, if you click on the magnifying glass icon, the site associated with the search result appears and this is what that looks like.

This is not a click-through. If the user clicks the link or the image of the Website, s/he is taken to the site. That's a click-through.

It is, however, the beginning of that experience with your brand. As such, it will be interesting to see how designers factor this little feature into the design of Web pages. So you typed some words into Google and it told you these Web pages most likely had what you were looking for. And you click on the magnifying glass and their Web site looks like a mess. How much does that devalue the search rank?

My personal opinion, which I get to state because I wrote the blog post: I think this is a good thing. Your experience with the Internet should be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, and there's no reason you should have to sacrifice one for the other.

What do you think? Will this prompt design changes to your Website? Will it shift priorities to or from SEO?

Need a Website redesign or some brand experience strategy? Just asking, you know, because I know people...

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