R.O.I. MEDIA

Last week Google added its latest feature to its search engine results page in an effort to further the ease of search. The feature? Instant Preview!

Instant Preview will display snapshots of each search result on the right

hand side of the results page giving the user a visual showcase of each of the websites. Google has long been refining the text snippets that were returned, but this is the first real visual aspect added to the search results.

How does it work?

Google takes a snapshot of the latest cached version of a page allowing the user to hover over the little magnifying glass on the right of the title. From there, the snapshot of the website is loaded to the right hand side of the results page. Instant preview is not automatically activated, so you must click on the blue magnifying glass for the feature to display.

This new feature does seem to provide some thought provoking arguments about web design. Suddenly you can rank number one for a term, but if someone looks at the snapshot provided and doesn’t find it to be relevant or appealing or simply does not think that the website will be easy to navigate, they will simply move onto the next result.

It’s broken!
One topic that is hotly debated in the realm of SEO is the use of Flash, and Instant Preview simply provides another argument as to why SEOs will strive further and further away from Flash. If your site is built on flash, or has large amounts of flash contained, then users might see something like the following when viewing the preview for your site:

Suddenly to many users it appears that your site is not working or there is a problem with it and they will move onto the next. Most users will not bother to test whether the site works or not when it will actually display correctly.

Visual Appearance
It could also be really beneficial for you to re- think the visual aspects of your website as a user will now determine whether to click through or not (whether the site is aesthetically pleasing to them or not). Suddenly that first impression becomes very, very important as you can have the greatest content in the world, but if your site appears to be a visual mess, or difficult to navigate at first glance, then the user will very quickly move onto another result.

Another aspect that could now deter visitors is how you make use of the white space on your website. If a visitor comes across a snapshot with limited information and large chunks of white space, then the initial reaction is more likely going to be that the page won’t be able to provide the information that they require in enough depth.

Bigger is better
Headings are always important in a website as it helps the user break down the content and sift through it without having to read it in its entirety. With the visual aspect now coming into the search results, headings or banners will play a big role in influencing the user’s decision. Refer back to the first screenshot above.

The R.O.I. Media home page has a perfect example. On the home page, there is a big banner stating, “Need Sales Online?” This automatically grabs your attention and you will know that the page is relevant to you if you are looking for a company to improve your online marketing. Many people will click through based upon that text grabbing their attention.

Impact on Ads?
One question that has been brought to mind for me is the impact that an instant preview is going to have on the return on adverts for Google and other advertisers. The snapshot of the page often covers most of the adverts down the right, meaning that many people will not even see them, or actually take note of them as they will be more interested in the snapshots. This will also create an ad impression in terms of tracking, but the ad is now visible for much less time to the user which could affect click through rates in the long run.

Conclusion
Essentially this tool is another step towards improving the search experience. They want you to find what you are looking for faster and more easily. The aim is to make as much information as possible available to help you determine the best result without compressing the search in any way. I think what it will actually do, subconsciously, is increase the amount of time people spend searching. I think that they will be more satisfied with the result they eventually select, but I feel that most people will spend more time on the results page due to looking at all the expanded views and will now enjoy having more factors to determine which site is the most relevant for them.