Google appears to be A/B testing a new look for desktop search results. The redesign takes many cues from mobile and places search results in individual cards. However, the bigger change displays Knowledge Graph cards inline and thus prioritizes them.
The new Google Search design is appearing for two of our writers. Interestingly, the change only appears when logged out from Google. Placing Knowledge Graph cards inline makes for a cleaner and simpler look, but it also prioritizes Google’s results over that of other websites. Previously, information, pictures, and links placed in the side bar were cramped and made for a very dense look.
In addition to being wider and more prominent, users now have to scroll more in order to see actual search results from the web. In the past, Knowledge Cards for locations would span the entire length of the results page. With the new design, pages are nearly twice as long.
Other changes in this new design include wider tabs for the All, Images, and News sorter and having sub-links that appear under a main result grouped in the same card. Stories from the “In the news” list are also in one card and the “People also search for” list is now at the bottom of the page versus at the bottom of the sidebar.
Another recent A/B test from Google had links on mobile and desktop displayed in black instead of blue. Not all tests become final, but this one makes sense on multiple fronts.
This new design can be seen as Google wanting users to rely more on results surfaced by the Knowledge Graph. It also results in a more consistent look across the web and mobile.
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