Over the years, search engines like Google have rolled out various features and search design changes to keep up with trends in people’s search behaviour. People now find it easier to absorb information visually, and Google’s recent update continues to enable this behaviour to help consumers intuitively navigate search results and connect with businesses quickly.
A More Intuitive Search Design Change
In October 2022, Google started rolling out a more intuitive and visual approach to display search results on mobile devices. It automatically pulls up each website’s business assets (which include the business name and favicon/logo) from their respective landing pages and adds them to search results in the form of structured data.
Consumers will now be able to take in new information about each search result with just a glance. All search results now prominently show each website’s business assets on top of the hyperlinked result. This feature showcases search results in a clear, organised, and distinguishable way, making search results more user-friendly.
Additionally, ads are now clearly labeled with “Sponsored” in bold text, making it easier to distinguish which results are paid and which are organic.
With these changes, Google provides more context to search results and increases advertiser transparency. This way, brands will be better able to connect with new and existing customers through building brand equity or, simply, brand recognition.
Currently, this search design change is only available on mobile search results and will roll out to desktop by 2023.
How It Works
This search design change involves Google crawling your website to search for the business assets it needs to display on search results. If Google isn’t able to find these assets, it will instead use the domain from your display URL and a blue globe icon in place of your business logo.
You also have the option to manually add these assets into paid campaigns you run.
This Feature Is Not Available to All Advertisers
Unfortunately, this new feature is not yet available to all advertisers. Google reaches out to select advertisers via email or in-account notifications to tell them that they can enable this feature by going through the Advertiser Verification Program.
Advertisers need to meet certain eligibility requirements, namely:
- Account has been open for more than 90 days.
- Account has a good history of policy compliance.
- Account has active campaigns.
- Account has active text ads and has been accruing spend on search campaigns for at least the last 28 days.
- Account is in an eligible vertical or sub-vertical.
- Sensitive verticals or sub-verticals (sexual content, alcohol, gambling, and healthcare) are not eligible.
- Accounts who have completed the 30-day Advertiser Verification Program.
Level Up Your Search Engine Marketing
Keep up with these Google mobile search design changes with your expert search engine marketing partners at Digital Animals. Give your customers easier-to-absorb information by leveraging your online business assets for both organic and sponsored results.
Let’s talk about your search engine marketing needs and discuss what we can do to help bring more visitors to your website.