Understanding Google’s Redesigned Mobile Search Results Format

Google has just rolled out a new look for its mobile search results pages. The new design puts the emphasis on brands by displaying the website’s favicon or logo alongside its name and URL.

Previously, their design seemingly downplayed the source of their search results. Most users would just read an excerpt from the site instead of actually clicking the link to the website, thus reducing the number of visits a website should have been getting. 

With this visual refresh, a user can now immediately identify the source of a search result making it easy to recognise if the content is legitimate and caters to their needs. By establishing the information coming from a reputable source, the user is further convinced and will more likely click on a result. In Google’s own words with the redesign:

“A website’s branding can be front and center, helping you better understand where the information is coming from and what pages have what you’re looking for.”

In addition to this, ads on Google Search are now placed on the first line of a card instead of being displayed with a green text. The Ad label on your card is shown more discreetly, making your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) practices much more effective.

3 Tips on Utilising the New Google Search Results Design

1. Make your favicon standout

Favicon refers to the icon or logo that represents your website. And now that your website can incorporate favicons in the search results, your business should take this as a chance to optimise your brand logo so that users can recognise it quickly.

In order to achieve the desired results with your favicon, Google’s algorithms must be able to identify it and it must be a direct representation of your brand. Know more about optimising your favicon here.

Another way to have an outstanding favicon is to engage a professional logo designer that can help make your corporate identity memorable in the online world. To quote award-winning filmmaker Saul Bass, “customers remember what they see, and buy what they remember.”

2. Engage in SEM best practices

With search engine ads being displayed subtler than ever, websites can take this opportunity to engage in Search Engine Marketing (SEM) practices. Basically, SEM refers to paid advertisements in the search engine results pages. It immediately places a website on top of the search results whenever a user types in keywords or phrases that are relevant to your website.

As mentioned earlier, paid ads are now presented more discreetly even if they are placed at the top. Compared to the previous design, they are now displayed in black alongside the advertiser or website’s URL. With this, businesses that were initially hesitant to engage SEM services because of how paid ads were presented can now use it to advertise their website thanks to the cleaner look.

3. Optimise your meta descriptions

Even though the redesigned format did not change how meta titles and descriptions appear, it’s still important for you to ensure that your ad copies are well-optimised. In case you haven’t heard, Google also expanded its text Ad format for businesses to have more room to explain their products, services, and value proposition. So together with the redesigned search results pages, now is a good time for you to ensure that your SEO/SEM texts are up to date with the current requirements.

A piece of advice: put your most important information on the first line of text and make sure that it is short, unique, specific, useful, and has a sense of urgency. By doing so, you are effectively creating an initial impression that will surely help your website.

In this article, we explain everything you need to know about Google’s expanded text ad format.

Want to maximise the potential of this mobile search redesign for your brand? Allow us to help! Give us a ring at 6841 1680 or email us at enquiry@verzdesign.com for a free consultation.