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So I was doing some searching on Google last evening when I finally experienced first-hand a recent twist in the Google search results pages: snippet size control in the form of "S," "M," and "L" buttons near the top left hand corner of the page.
While this may be an experiment by Google to enhance user experience, the potential impact from an SEO standpoint is huge. While conducting a search using "medium" snippet size control will yield you the type of SERP page you have grown accustomed to (snippets of up to 160 characters, ten organic results per page), a search using "large" snippet size control will, in addition, show on-page content in the results and reduce the number of organic results to six per page. Imagine what that would do to your traffic if you were ranked number 7 for a specific keyword.
Conversely, using a "small" snippet size control only gives users title tags. While this increases the number of organic results to 15 per page, the lack of a meta description seriously hinders an SEM's opportunity to prove to end users the content on a page is applicable while leaving one less opportunity for a call to action. No matter how little importance the meta description plays in the rankings, not having one in the SERPs increases the chance of losing a visit to your competitor.
So, how would I like my search results served up? Based on the potential fallout of any other option, medium sounds better than ever right about now.
About the Author: Matt MesengerMatt Mesenger is the E-commerce Program Manager and a Senior Account Executive at Fathom Online Marketing. He has 5 years of marketing experience and a track record of helping clients exceed their online goals. When he’s not immersed in e-commerce optimization, he spends most of his time hanging out at home with his wife, son, and two dogs. You can follow Matt on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.
Comments
6 Comments so far6 Responses to “Would You Like That Search Result Small, Medium, or Large?”
This is going to be interesting to see how S, M, and L sear5ch results play out. I wonder if there will be trending in industries as to what kind of search is done. If I was doing research I would use the large and shopping the small.
Ineresting find, there. I agree that this could really impact traffic for sites currently hanging around on the first page in the default ten.
Even if it this adapted for wide use after this bucket testing, I predict most people will keep it at medium. It is what we are used to and habits are hard to break.
I'll repeat my mantra; there really is no such thing as a #1 ranking. The days of increased customization are upon us.
Were you signed into your Google account? I don't see that on my result page. Google must have been playing and you caught it!
SEO Guru,
I first noticed this while signed in to my Google account, but logged out and the snippet size option was still there. I've also since tried to do Google searches from home and am still seeing this pop up, so my IP address must have been one of the lucky winners for this test.
I remember not long ago finding a couple of experimental search options in Google Labs (http://www.google.com/experimental/) that allowed you to use an experimental search if you signed up for it. One of the options is to use keyboard shortcuts while searching. You could toggle line-by-line through results, go straight to the search field, get the next page, etc.
In some ways, Google's existing advanced search (www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en) allows biggie-sizing for everybody--if you choose it. For example, you could see up to 100 results per page and search by language, date, or usage rights.
I have to say I saw this for the first time on Friday. Ironically, it was on someone's computer who does not have a Google account or uses the internet for much of anything.