{"id":5876,"date":"2020-01-16T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bronco.co.uk\/our-ideas\/?p=5876"},"modified":"2020-07-06T10:48:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T09:48:53","slug":"have-google-introduced-new-favicons-to-confuse-users-into-clicking-more-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bronco.co.uk\/our-ideas\/have-google-introduced-new-favicons-to-confuse-users-into-clicking-more-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"Have Google Introduced New Favicons to Confuse Users into Clicking More Ads?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earlier this week, Google announced their January 2020 Core Update, and as the week rolls on, we\u2019re seeing the impact the update has had on clients and users alike. Many are claiming that this has been a big one, with big effects for site owners, but user interface in SERPs is the most obvious, and problematic, visible change we\u2019re seeing right now.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google\u2019s New Look<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d known Google had been trying out a new look for their SERPs for a while now; the new interface with favicons located next to the URL in their search result snippet has been live on mobile since May 2019, and there have been several test runs spotted over the past year across browsers where the URL is placed at the top of the snippet. But with the January 2020 update, we\u2019re now seeing this consistently across desktop too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like every update that changes a user interface, this will take some getting used to. But initial reports from users have swayed more definitively towards the negative aspects of the redesign.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problematic Favicon & Ad Confusion<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The colourful update to include a favicon next to the URL in a search result snippet means that brands can be more quickly and easily identified, however there has arisen an issue:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ad content is no longer clearly identifiable amongst a sea of favicons. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where a search result is an ad, a bold black \u201cAd\u201d label simply replaces the favicon next to the URL, but many claim that this isn\u2019t enough. Google states that the new search result snippet layout is not designed to confuse: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe format puts a site\u2019s brand front & center, helping searchers better understand where information is coming from, more easily scan results & decide what to explore.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

– Google SearchLiaison<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead their attempts at transparency seem to have backfired. Ads have become almost indistinguishable alongside organic search results, leading users to believe that Google is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, Google\u2019s search result ads have blended more and more with organic results – where once we had a shaded background, later a bold yellow or green label, in the past few years this has been reduced to a simple green box, and now indistinguishable from the favicons of organic search results:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Google hiding the ad label a little further.
Next step light grey? pic.twitter.com\/KStBzx3k2M<\/a><\/p>— Thomasbcn (@Thomasbcn) May 23, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote>