The New Google Search Layout is Here to Stay (even though we are all like, 'really? That's the best you could come up with??)

by Lissa Monroe

First displayed on a limited basis, the new Google search layout is now live to all despite poor reviews. 

The layout’s new font and removal of link underlines also displays the AdWords ads differently. Headlines are larger and the rich snippets are lighter with an adjustment to wider typeface.
AdWords are no longer the familiar light yellow in the background instantly designating it as the advertising space for so many years. There is no shaded background at all in the new layout. Instead, there is an underline separating the ads from the organics as well as a tiny ‘Ad’ next to the green URL. 

Besides the aesthetics, the new Google search layout is having a big impact on your SEO. Headlines are now being truncated.  The new optimized limit is 59-60 characters in a title.  This means having to rework all your titles so your snippet isn’t affected in SERPs which could affect your click-throughs.

Google's explanation regarding the new layout is that they are making improvements for mobile and tables. Unfortunagely, this change also affe carried over to desktop.  Jon Wiley of Google says, this change creates improved readability and a much cleaner look. And there is an end goal of creating a consistent user experience across multiple devices (desktop, mobile tablet):

“Towards the end of last year we launched some pretty big design improvements for Search on mobile and tablet devices (mobile first! :-). Today we've carried over several of those changes to the desktop experience.

We've increased the size of result titles, removed the underlines, and evened out all the line heights. This improves readability and creates an overall cleaner look. We've also brought over our new ad labels from mobile, making the multi-device experience more consistent.

Improving consistency in design across platforms makes it easier for people to use Google Search across devices and it makes it easier for us to develop and ship improvements across the board.”

So, get used to the new layout ‘cuz its here to stay whether we like it or not.

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