Google tweaks their Results Page

It looks like Google are experimenting with changes to their results page. Regular users might have noticed a new results feature popping up every now and then over the last few weeks, namely small S, M and L buttons at the top of the results page. As you may have figured out, these stand for small, medium and large and effect the size of the descriptions you get for each search result.

If you click the ‘L’ button, you’ll see fairly comprehensive descriptions of around 624 characters, which, it would seem, tend to be pulled straight off the website, totally bypassing the description tag. Because these descriptions are so large Google limits them to six per page. Clicking the ‘M’ tag pretty much changes nothing, but clicking the ‘S’ tag eliminates description altogether, Showing only the result, site links and indented listings. Because there is more space the number of results per page rises to 15.

At first glance this seems kind of trivial, I know, perhaps a logical step for Google, but not earth shattering. That is, until you consider how complicated this now makes Ranking. For example, sites that have worked hard to get their site to eighth position, thinking that top ten will always get you on the first page now have to worry about how many people are clicking the ‘L’ button and missing their result – until some stats emerge, there’s no way of knowing that number for sure. Furthermore, a top six placing is probably unfeasible for many companies, particularly when Wikipedia, YouTube and the other big guns often dominate the first few places.

Conversely, anyone in say 15th place may have just had their position greatly enhanced though, as I said, there’s no way of telling by how much. Correct me if I’m wrong but to me this seems like more of a headache than an innovation.

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