New Google Features

Michael Buczek - August 18, 2008

While doing research for a client, I stumbled upon some interesting things that Google is doing.   While they are not big changes, I thought it would be good to show them off and give my 2 cents!

Ever notice how some websites have a splash or entrance page?   Do they annoy you?   They do me.   It seems to me that this is an extra click which is really unnecessary.   It looks as though Google has recognized this dilemma and is now giving us the choice of viewing the entrance page, or going straight to the regular homepage.   See example below:

If you were to click on the yellow area, you would be taken to the entrance page.   If you click on the light blue area, you bypass the entrance page and go right to the homepage.  

What I get from this is that Google realizes that most people don’t want to sit though a flash intro or view a splash page.   So, if you are thinking about adding a splash page, you may want to think about this and if it is worth your time if people will be skipping over it anyway.   Invest your time in adding good quality content and links to your site!

Google Cache
In the last few weeks, Google has changed the look of the information it is giving when you check you website’s cache.   In the past the Google Cache looked like this:

It is now displaying like this:

The information is the same, but Google is now giving it with a cleaner look.   To learn more information about Google’s cache tools, you can click on the “learn more” button.