Minimalist Google homepage unleashed

The Google homepage is considered the prime piece of real estate on the Web. The sheer volume of visitors it gets every day means any slight change to the design or layout is news. Just look at the fuss caused by the series of strange Google doodles a couple of months ago. So this latest change to the Google homepage is news, just not very exciting news.

Back in October, Google started experimenting with new homepage designs. These were all very similar, with the search box always remaining visible but other elements changing. Some showed the search options immediately, others didn’t, some hid certain aspects of the site, while some added humorous comments to the experience.

After a couple of months of testing the design variants, Google has now settled on one and is in the process of rolling it out to all users worldwide. The chances are that if you haven’t yet seen the new design you will do very soon. To be honest, you may not even notice the change at first glance, with the main difference being a fade-in of all options other than those relating to instant search.

As the above video shows, the new Google homepage design is minimalist, with visitors now being treated to the bare essentials when they first land. Once they move the mouse then the usual array of options and internal promotions show up.

Google has made these changes as a result of realizing that most users purely use the site to search the Web; they aren’t interested in all the extras Google has to offer such as Maps, Shopping, and Mail. So it’s an attempt to please as many people as possible while also making a statement about how crucial the Google homepage is to the general wellbeing of the Web.

As I said earlier, it’s not the most exciting of changes to see take place but it is important because of the popularity of the site and the fact it is here to stay. Could it prompt other sites to follow suit, with extraneous links being consigned to the sidelines as the focus is put solely on the main point of the page?

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