Many readers will have already noticed the significant change in the design of the Google results page, which has been phased in over the past weeks.
A column has been added to the left of the results page to allow one-click search access to news, blog, Facebook/Twitter updates and images.
Without doubt, the new section provides a more customised user experience. Being able to switch between web search, news search and blog search without feeling that one is travelling between different search engines is very handy.
No doubt there are purists out there who preferred Google over other search engines because of its simplicity, and who are now growling that the interface has suddenly become 'cluttered'.
But many users will appreciate the extra time saved. Google’s Senior User Experience Designer, Jon Wiley, writes on the company blog that the new interface took many iterations to finalise after much user testing. Google simply doesn't roll out new features on a whim.
Importantly, this is a call to action for forward-thinking webmasters to ensure that they are producing content across the whole online spectrum.
Questions that need asking include whether blogs are being updated regularly. Does the company have an industry news feed, and has it been submitted for inclusion in Google News? Are videos being produced and displayed on the company website? Are they being submitted to Youtube and Metacafe? What kind of presence does the organization have on Facebook and Twitter? And is there someone responsible for monitoring discussion forums and replying when the need arises?
By not providing a universal content experience for visitors, webmasters will surely miss out on the waves of extra visitors that are now expecting far more than static content and simple search.
