More Google SERPs Testing

Posted by Lee Odden on May 13th, 2007 in Google, Online Marketing |

Normally when related queries are suggested after doing a search on Google, they appear at the bottom of the search results page (SERP). I noticed this weekend Google is testing the display of other Google categories as well as related search queries above the right side column ads. (Outlined in red)

The example above shows a link to Google Products. However, other keyword queries generate links to other Google search products: Google News, Scholar, Blogs, Books, Video, etc. I am only able to create these results on Firefox using Google, not via MSIE or Opera browsers.

What does this mean for search marketers? Not a whole lot. But if Google started using the top right screen real estate to start showing links to more information, it could present secondary promotion opportunities in the same way that OneBox results do.

It makes sense for Google to do more to disambiguate search results, because as good as Google is at “organizing the world’s information” the quality of search results is nowhere near ideal. Adding alternate drill down options helps make up for variances in query context and searcher intentions.

Here are screen shots of other layouts Google has been testing recently.

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Tags:google-SERPs-testing

May 13th, 2007 at 5:07 pm Google Testing New SERP Layout

[...] Speaking May13th Google Testing New SERP Layout · No Comments Lee has a screenshot, click the thumbnail to your right, of a new Google SERP layout which includes a different designated spot for the “related searches” and also includes links to category refinements. [...]
May 14th, 2007 at 5:02 am Zohaib

Interesting find.
May 14th, 2007 at 7:55 am Keith

I find this option less annoying than the test where they put this info on the left hand side of my screen.
May 14th, 2007 at 10:04 pm New Layout for Google Local Search Onebox Results : Natural Search Blog

[...] A number of folx have been mentioning various alternate layouts of late, as Google has apparently been testing a number of page content arrangement options. (See here, here, here, and here.) [...]
May 14th, 2007 at 11:53 pm Brandon

Seems they are just trying to add more modules on the google pages. I think it can create a 2nd spot for prime ad location tho

We’ll see how this goes.