Google is bringing its updated mobile search results design to desktop, the company announced today.
The new layout will help users quickly identify websites in search results and ads.
What’s Changing?
The updated design will include favicons and site names in Google’s desktop search results, similar to the design rolled out to mobile search in October.
This change is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance the user experience by making search results and ads more visually distinct.
Favicons & Site Names
Adding site names to search results on desktop will enable users to identify the website associated with each webpage link.
Google will also adjust the size and shape of favicons that appear in search results to make them more visible.
These changes will also apply to Search ads, providing greater clarity and advertiser transparency.
Clear Labeling of Ads
Google is committed to providing clear labeling for ads to ensure users can distinguish them from organic search results.
The label for Search ads will now appear on its own line in the top-left corner of the ad. Mobile ads will be labeled with the word “Sponsored” in bold black text to make them more noticeable and distinct from other types of content.
How To Provide A Site Name To Google
Google automatically generates site names in search results by considering a site’s content and references to it that appear online.
Although it’s impossible to manually change site names for individual sites, you can improve the accuracy of the name displayed for your site by adding WebSite structured data.
It’s important to note that site names differ from per-page title links, which are unique to each URL.
Google uses the site name to provide the most accurate representation of the source of each result.
In Summary
Google’s updated desktop search results design with favicons and site names aims to make search results and ads more visually distinct.
A visually appealing and accurate site name can increase the chances of attracting clicks from potential visitors.
For marketers and SEO professionals, this emphasizes the importance of utilizing structured data to help Google display your preferred site name in search results.
Featured Image: fr_design/Shutterstock
