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Google search has now slowed me down!

A post of a ranting nature...

Drive2Riches

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I look up terminology every day. Have you noticed what happened with Google this week?

The searches now fill each result with (on the first line) a brand icon, the source URL, followed by the URL's keyterms or interior pages, and then an arrow dropdown to select "cached"

... and all this is ABOVE the truncated page link.

And then the link is followed by possibly a by-line, and then a date

... and only then does the blurb from the page start showing up, again truncated.

But that's not all! Below the truncated blurb there will be "People also search for" with more links, but only within a single one of the page results. Below the other items there are more links in the form of keywords or questions.

Skimming a Google results page is OVER.
 
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Ismail941

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I have seen it too for the last couple of months.
I think google is revamping/restructuring search result unless its gonna be a huge change in algorithm or something.
I think google is trying to make relevant search results based on user's search thermostat/temperature or something like that
I don't know - just my words as comments
But hey good news is the displayed links get click by visitor which is awesome.
 

BizyDad

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The post is a little dramatic. Once you get used to this new layout, you'll start skimming again.

It just doesn't feel that way right now because it looks so new.
 
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Nick M.

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The post is a little dramatic. Once you get used to this new layout, you'll start skimming again.

It just doesn't feel that way right now because it looks so new.

My main issue is the lack of visual hierarchy in the titles.

I've always searched on Google looking at:
  1. Title
  2. Title
  3. Title
  4. Maybe source
  5. Title
  6. Maybe blurb
I can usually find the credibility of the site and the source faster by clicking the link than actually reading anything more. I trust Google to find the best URL first because they know my search history and which URLs I click on. So as long as the title matches what I'm looking for, I click on URL 1. Then URL 2.

So…

Previously, before every title, there was a massive gap of whitespace. So I could look for the whitespace and know that the title followed. That allowed me to skim.

Now, in between the whitespace is the Favicon and URL, neither of which I care about when Googling.

True, it's possible to change my skimming patterns by looking for larger, blue text as the titles. However, the titles are only slightly larger (20px vs 14px), and I use flux 24/7 making the blue color not stand out at all. Maybe it will become easier with practice, but I'm not counting on it right now.

…then again I used to not like the current Google logo. I do now.

P.S. Good news to advertisers (but not consumers): Ads are now less differentiated on Google, making them appear more like actual search results.
 

Drive2Riches

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in between the whitespace is the Favicon and URL, neither of which I care about when Googling.
yup. excessive information. I liked the url underneath.
Ads are now less differentiated on Google, making them appear more like actual search results.
Yep. I was previously able to scroll past ads because of "AD" icon, but now the icon also shows.
I've always searched on Google looking at:
  1. Title
  2. Title
  3. Title
  4. Maybe source
  5. Title
  6. Maybe blurb
I am typically looking up terms that are quite random. I need spellings, context, maybe location if it's a city name. I think I have been reading the blurb all the time, and now it's shorter and less prominent, so that's why this change is striking to me.
 
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AgainstAllOdds

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I hate it. I noticed that a lot of the search has been localized.

Try searching for an international partner that you work with. You won't be able to find them even though they ranked up top before.

The search results have changed to heavily local focused.
 

GigMistress

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I hate it. I noticed that a lot of the search has been localized.

Try searching for an international partner that you work with. You won't be able to find them even though they ranked up top before.

The search results have changed to heavily local focused.

Which makes absolutely no sense, since unless you're looking for a restaurant or an auto mechanic, being local has become largely meaningless. Back in 2007-2008 when the steps toward localizing search were getting underway, it made a lot of sense. But, a lot has changed since--changes Google is aware of, since it puts out reports on things like online shopping. We've finally reached the point in society where true authority is FAR more important than geography for most purposes, and also the peak of localized search.
 

Andy Black

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Can someone post screenshots?
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Wow, talk about a shit show.

First of all, I don't use Google much.

But I tried using it looking for an engineered hardwood, a specific type of brand, color, and model.

This is what the second page looked like, absolutely NOTHING to do with the search.

1579456333675.png

The first page had two relevant results, the rest of it was garbage.

The bottom of page one...

29797

DuckDuckGo had much better results.

This makes my decision not to use Google a bit easier.
 

Walter Hay

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DuckDuckGo had much better results.

This makes my decision not to use Google a bit easier.
I only use Duck Duck Go. It actually produces results relevant to my search.

And there is that big bonus of privacy and avoiding Google's tracking. They use that so they can show you what you should look at, even when you know it is totally irrelevant.

Walter
 

ApparentHorizon

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Wow, talk about a shit show.

First of all, I don't use Google much.

But I tried using it looking for an engineered hardwood, a specific type of brand, color, and model.

This is what the second page looked like, absolutely NOTHING to do with the search.

View attachment 29796

The first page had two relevant results, the rest of it was garbage.

The bottom of page one...

View attachment 29797

DuckDuckGo had much better results.

This makes my decision not to use Google a bit easier.

Organic results have gone to shit over the past 2-3 years in a push to make their own ecosystem more dominant.

Their own properties showing up with scraped content, like lyrics and answers. And of course Ads.

The latest change is clearly designed to train you to ignore the Ad label, because it looks like a favicon.

Websites aren't profitable anymore. Answers are.

Red = Google. Green = Organic
29801
 
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