Google Preview –what does it mean for your web design?

Google have always been a highly visual company – the irreverent treatment of their logo and emphasis on image search improvement is proof of that – but recently they’ve really upped the ante with visual previews of pages in search results.

In a blog post to announce Instant Preview, Google Product Manager Raj Krishnan explained the thinking behind the development: ‘We found that people who use Instant Previews are about five per cent more likely to be satisfied with the results they click’.

So, visits you attract are more likely to convert into business; but the preview function is also likely to have a profound impact on web design and pay-per-click advertising, which could lead to some websites requiring a complete redesign.

The Instant Preview creates an entirely new arena in which you have to impress customers, just to get them onto your site. Potential customers are now able to judge your site before even visiting it and consequently attractive, uncluttered design is now a priority.

A negative reaction to the visual preview could result in a drop in click-through rates for sites which have previously relied on their content to attract customers, possibly signalling an end to the ‘Content is King’ mantra which has led SEO for so long.

The knock-on effect of this could be a drop in search engine rankings and an increase in cost-per-clicks, which could seriously damage web-based SME’s with content-focused sites.

Web design has always been important in SEO, but until now viewers had to click through to your site to make an educated decision on the company. Google Instant Preview now gives them the power to make snap decisions without ever visiting your site. So if you’ve been thinking of revamping your web design, there has never been a better time!