Google is updating its desktop search engine, offering what it claims will be a ’simpler, cleaner’ feel than before more closely aligned with its mobile and tablet versions.
The most significant change is the removal of the sidebar to the left of the page. The same options (such as Web, Images, Maps, Shopping) are now displayed in a bar along the top.
“The same advanced tools you’re used to are still there when you need them. Just click on ‘Search tools’ to filter or drill down on your results,” its blog post read.
The ‘Advanced Tools’ section reveals options such as “Sites with images,” “Related searches,” “Visited pages,” “Not yet visited” and other advanced search tools.
The global market leader said the change was intended to streamline search pages and make the layout on desktop computers consistent with those on smartphones and tablets.
“You’ll notice a new simpler, cleaner design on the search results page,”Google Search lead designer Jon Wiley said in a blog post. “There’s a bit more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you’re looking for, whether from Web results or from a feature like the Knowledge Graph.”
Though it’s moved toward a minimalist look, Google made sure to point out that the design changes haven’t compromised quality in results.
Google began rolling out new search results pages in the United States and said it wanted to make them available to users in other regions “as soon as we can.”
Google also said that as part of its effort to streamline the service, it will stop letting people use background images to customise search homepages effective November 16.
Read the official blog here
