Google has rolled out a couple of interesting updates to its search page. If you have recently accessed the search engine results page you must have seen that the search bar doesn’t disappear even when you have scrolled from the top of the page to the next fold. This is a part of the extensive testing it has been conducting since August this year. Now it is rolling out these updates at a universal level.
A look at the changes
Now when you scroll on a Google search results page, you will see that the search bar remains fixed to the top of the page. This way, if you need to quickly type a query again, you can do so without travelling all the way back to the top of the page. All you need to do is type on the sticky search bar and hit Enter. As compared to the older search bar, this is the key change that is now visible. It saves users a couple of seconds if they want to search another query. They can save time in travelling to the top of the page and type the query from the current location itself. It is interesting to note that this is for desktop- only change and no change will be visible on tablets or smartphones.
The new design does feel a lot wobbly and might need some fine- tuning work so that it doesn’t shake so much at the time of scrolling up and down. Users might take some time to get accustomed to the new design. There is expected to be a lot of complaints that will emerge against this change. But eventually they will have to be prepared to see this update being visible for a long time.
What are the initial reviews?
While many customers have welcomed the change, there are many users who have complained about the new update. The constantly visible search bar at the top even after scrolling seems to be a distraction for many users. Also, users feel that there is already a way to access the search bar at all times even in the older layout, i.e. typing the search query on the address bar, which will re-direct to the Google search results page.
However, we feel that Google has been testing this update for pretty long. Hence we can expect the changes to stay on the site for long even if the number of impressed users is a bit lower than expected.
What else has changed?
The search bar/ field too has undergone a design revamp. Instead of the sharp edges we are accustomed to seeing for so many years now, there has been a slight update here. It now features rounded edges on all four corners.
What is your opinion of these new changes brought about by the search engine giant on its search engine results page? Do leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts.
