Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Google’s Blue Interface (aka Jazz) Is Approaching – What is your Hands on Take?
According to Barry at Seroundtable, more searchers are now seeing the new 3 column Google Jazz Interface. This interface, which Google hopes to push out sometime this year will have a significant impact on local search if for no other reason than because of it showing a 5 pack instead of the current 7 pack as the standard display.
If you have not yet tried the new Google display and would like to, you may do so pasting the following into the address bar of your browser when on google.com:
When you have done so you can then explore the new interface and will see search results like the following:
Clearing your Google cookies in your browser cache will turn off the Jazz interface and return your browser to the current interface.
How do you see the interface affecting local search?
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Comments
14 Comments
It seems to me that each new version of the integrated maps results uses space less efficiently. Before long, all queries will have the 1-pack.
Really interesting. I’m not sure what to make of it. I did a side by side comparison between the current and the Jazz interface of screen real estate that is taken up.
The map now is larger horizontally, but vertically it takes up less space than before. Old map – 312 pixels high, new map – 204 pixels high.
However, because the results now are below the map there is less screen real estate for organic search results. At my screen resolution I saw one less organic result. So, basically 2 less local map listings, and one less organic result above the fold. In some industries competition is already fierce. It just makes it that much more competitive.
@Brian and Steve
I have been using the interface for over a month and have grown fond of it even though it does in fact reduce the number of visible results. I enjoy the visual segmentation on the page.
Although I never use the Maps or Shopping links, they could drive significant traffic to the interior spaces of Google.
The real question is: “How will users respond?” Will they be turned off by it? Will they use it as an opportunity to switch? Will they even notice it has changed?
I like the blue quite a bit, but the layout is incredibly annoying, at least at your screen resolution. Perhaps on a higher resolution the screen will expand but from your screenshot, the main column is WAAAAAY too narrow. The javascript thing isn’t working for me 🙁
Regardless, I guess Maps optimization is going to get even more important…
Visually, I think it is much more appealing. Especially with local search, the map is nice and big. I hardly ever use the map, but it is definitely appealing.
The advance search features being there are really helpful. My guess is that users will find it more helpful. And I like the blue and the design is a big enough deviation that I think users will notice.
@David
I narrow the screen to make it visually fit better on my blog. So yes, at real resolutions it is not so funky.
You might want to try it a second time. It worked on my second try with firefox.
I’ve got to agree with Brian on this one. I think we should take an over/under on how long it’ll take before all map results are 1 boxes.
I checked it out, and the results were not what I would call “good”. I got 2 PPC listings at the top in addition to the right side bar, leaving room for only the map and about 1.5 listings above the fold in the main column.
Something about a search engine that doesn’t provide more than 2 unpaid results above the fold just does not sound appealing to me. Whether the general public will notice or not, I can’t say, but I certainly noticed and was not a fan.
For about the last 5 months, I really feel like Google is making changes that can actually hurt them. This is coming from a person that loves Google. I have always thought what has made Google great was the simplicity. The simple one box search, and producing the MOST relevant results. Now they seem to be cluttering their results. (I do agree this is “cleaner” than what they are currently showing with local). It is starting to feel cluttered like the old Yahoo and I think we remember what happened to them in the search game. This will be interesting to watch as Bing seems to be simplifying their results. The other reason I am not a fan of maps/local is sometimes folks want the best company, not the closest. In addition, the map results can be way off.
Joe,
It sounds like your issues are with the algo, not the design IMHO. Certainly, quality of map results can be a problem. But those of us local SEO’s who are not spamming the system are working to improve those results. Google’s working on it as well, with varying levels of success.
And “best” versus “closest” is a matter of determining intent and scoring results. No easy task, but I think Google is getting better and better at that.
Google is also getting better at determining the searcher’s exact location, so you can expect the results to move from local to hyper-local.
None is this matters if above the fold consists of one map listing, one organic listing, and a bunch of paid listings.
It seems like they are yanking the concept Bling has of the categorization on the left. Considering the ultimate goal of space usage utopia I think this is a pretty big waste of pagescape.
Its about time!! google has been using the same look for the last 5 years. They need to change the layout of the search engine because its time for a change. bing.com and yahoo.com have both changed there look and style within the last year. Google needs to realize that it needs to keep up with change if it wants to stay ahead of the pack
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