Author // Mike Kalil
This week, Google began implementing a new, colorful layout that provides more options for searchers than before. Instead of typing a search query and going through pages and pages of results, you’ll now have the option of slimming down your choices. As
The Register points out, the change is an obvious attempt to stay competitive against Microsoft’s Bing, which touts itself as a user-friendly alternative to Google.
The change has already taken effect for many Google users, though it is apparently not across the board yet. If your Google searches look the same as always, expect to see the new layout within the coming days. The sorting options that now appear – by news, images, videos, maps, shopping, books, blogs, updates, discussions, time frame – were previously available, but most users did not know about them.
Here are some ways you can use the new layout to make your searches more efficient:
Search by date – If you’re searching for content that’s been published recently, click the “Show search tools” option and pick an appropriate time frame. This way, you’ll only be sorting through pages indexed recently rather than seeing results that have been ranking since the 1990s. You have the option of searching for content from the past 24 hours, week, month, year or your own custom date range. This option is especially helpful for monitoring your online reputation. Instead of scouring countless pages of results for mentions of your company, you can check in on a weekly or monthly basis to see only recent mentions.
Search the blogosphere – If you’re looking for the latest information about a topic in your industry, the best place to find it is often on blogs. Not only does Google make it easy to search for relevant blog entries, it also allows you to limit your choices to entries posted in the past 5 minutes, hour, 24 hours, week, month, year or your own custom range. You also have the option of sorting them by date or relevance. Unfortunately, Google does index an awful lot of spammy blogs, so it can still be tough sorting through the nonsense for some topics.
Search the social landscape – By clicking the “Updates” tab, you’ll be able to see what people are saying in real-time about anything that interests you. You’ll also see a graph detailing when mentions of the keywords were at their highest and lowest. This afternoon, there was a major spike in people mentioning “Google layout” in their posts.
Search for discussions – Oftentimes, the best way to find an answer to a question is by consulting online forums. Let’s say you’re having trouble with computer software you recently installed. If you’re having the problem, odds are lots of other users are, too. Just click the “Discussions” tab, describe your problem in a handful of words and you’ll likely find an answer to your question within minutes. You also have the option of limiting your results to forum or Q&A sites.
These are just some of the ways you can make Google a more useful and efficient tool for you. What do you think of the new layout? Have you discovered any other useful features?
