What: Earlier today, Google SearchLiaison took to Twitter to announce that the 2019 mobile redesign will roll out to desktop results this week, presenting site domain names and brand icons prominently. The black “Ad” label will also replace the green outlined label introduced in 2017, and as stated by Google, will allow users to “quickly identify where the information is coming from”.
Why: According to the Twitter announcement, the format “puts a site’s brand front & center, helping searchers better understand where information is coming from, more easily scan results & decide what to explore”. It also makes for a much cleaner interface, especially for searchers who aren’t familiar with the SERPs.
The result: The new “Ad” label will appear at the top of the ad along with the updated black display URL, which will show above the ad headline for the first time. If a site has a favicon, it can be included in the Google Search results simply by adding a tag to the header of the home page (more details here). The general consensus for this update seems pretty negative, with several Twitter users arguing it’s “even more difficult to differentiate ads from actual results.”
