Comments on: What You Never Noticed About Google’s Homepage

By: One Car Rental

One Car Rental — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:33:25 +0000

I think the best part of Google is the plain and simple style of their website as a whole.

Whenever I go to MSN or Yahoo for whatever reason, they certainly aren’t my preferred choice for search, I’m always taken aback by how long the pages take to load, OK we’re not talking about minutes but if you compare it to the Google load time it seems like an eternity.

Thanks for showing us the old Google logo, took me back to the 90s

By: Get An Up-To-Date Copyright | mplswebguy.com

Get An Up-To-Date Copyright | mplswebguy.com — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:48:04 +0000

[...] Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience at Google talks about the testing (read the entire article here): [Our beta testers] would sit in front of the Google screen for 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 [...]

By: hypotheek uitrekenen

hypotheek uitrekenen — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:15:36 +0000

Keep it simple…isn’t it always so with everything in life?

By: zonder bkr toetsing online geld lenen

zonder bkr toetsing online geld lenen — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:05:33 +0000

I agree; simplicity is the best way!

By: Lesli

Lesli — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:00:16 +0000

I’m just learning about the online world, which for newbies is truly a whole new world. I don’t even know what I don’t know! Reading your posts makes the simple things seem obvious, but I never would have noticed them on my own. Thanks.

By: Schilderijen

Schilderijen — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:41:46 +0000

you have to look at arhive.org and than look for the oldest layout. is very funny.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:58:54 +0000

I like your points Robert, and better yet, that was one of the best explainations on the importants of testing made simple I think I might have ever seen.

I archive.org’ed google and you are right on target. In 2005 they made no less than two updates a day everyday sometimes many, many, more in one day!

Take what you can from that but I think your right on Robert!

By: Scott Salwolke

Scott Salwolke — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:07:41 +0000

The testing that Google performed shows us why they’ve reached such heights. It should also remind us of one of the key advantages of the web. To test or material and tweak it. We can revise copy on our sites not just to improve rankings, but also the human response. With a catalog or television ad, most of us can’t afford to keep tweaking it. Otherwise we’re left having to print new catalogs or film new commercials.

By: geld lenen

geld lenen — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:06:53 +0000

Never thought of this, but it’s a good point. Everybody should be testing all the time. Thanks for making this a “Must See”. I’ll be digging your archive for some more now

By: Mayank - Start Internet Business

Mayank - Start Internet Business — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:42:40 +0000

Amazing! I am sold on Google’s principle of simplicity. Some sites are so hard on the eyes, it’s difficult to focus and find what you need.
I have stopped visiting some such sites, although the content there was good, I just couldn’t bear the pressure on my eyes.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:08:31 +0000

@Dave
still opening up a google page for search? That’s sooo 2007

If you don’t like using Google as a homepage, here’s a couple of suggestions. Either try iGoogle – just add /ig to the end of the domain name. Lots of pretty pictures & just the info you want

or install Google Desktop. Every time you need a search (or have a thought that needs answering) just double tap the Ctrl key & up pops a Google search box. type away, hit enter & your browser will appear with the SERPs page in seconds. Nice.

After a couple of days/weeks it’s hard to imagine being without it.

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:55:38 +0000

Thanks Robert for, as usual, separating the urgent from the important for us – your blog is a testament to the latter.

Rox

By: Steve Woda

Steve Woda — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:35:18 +0000

Great post Robert. Product design is one of those disciplines that everyone believes they know how to do. Why? Well because everybody uses products. I have learned that the test and learn process is not only the smartest way to get to the right answer that fastest, but it is also the easiest way to avoid debillitating internal debate about the right product design that usually includes everyone including the janitor. Everyone has an opinion, but of course, the only opinion that counts is the opinion (or the actions) of the majority of your target market. Again, nice post.

Steve Woda

Steve

By: michael

michael — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:49:43 +0000

When Google had one function, I liked the simple design. Now it gets annoying having to use a dropdown every time I want to search google finance or scholar (on the positive side, at least they HAVE a dropdown now. For a long time I’d generally do a search for “finance” in order to get to Google Finance, THEN do my search).

Time for a little more user testing, IMHO — 1998 is over.

By: Vi Wickam

Vi Wickam — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:58:12 +0000

I concur with Burt that google’s clean and uncluttered design is important still today, but think back to 1998.

Back in the days of dialup (or even 14.4), a 300K homepage would take 30 seconds or more to load. The google homepage was refreshingly fast.

Google’s simple elegance has separated it from the search engines that wanted to shove junk down our throats, not to mention any…MSN…names.

I never would have thought about the copyright making such a difference for Google. Now that’s Brilliant!

Thanks,
Vi Wickam
Zello Partners
http://www.Zello.US
Online Marketing for Real Business

By: Nce

Nce — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:33:03 +0000

@Burt

You can try to install google toolbar into your browser, I think it’s much more easier for you to search something

By: burt

burt — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:44:42 +0000

I use Google’s home page as my home page because it loads so fast. The clean design keeps me focused on why I opened it up: to search for something I was curious abot.

By: Dave Kirkland

Dave Kirkland — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:31:20 +0000

I wondered why such a big company as Google would have such an ugly homepage? Plain,Colorless,Boring. I found that Google is about information,not looks, such as other search engines.So I will use Google to search and Yahoo as a homepage for looks. No offence; just that Google for a Homepage is boring for me.

By: Robert Gorell

Robert Gorell — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:23:04 +0000

Al,

After thinking a bit more about your comment, I’ve clarified it a bit by keeping it about the 1998 homepage. (I reckon people already know what Google’s current homepage looks like, even if they don’t notice the copyright. )

By: Robert Gorell

Robert Gorell — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:56:03 +0000

Al,

I know that it’s on the beta page. If I’d have pointed out the “most innovative feature” in the first screen shot, there wouldn’t be much reason for me to ask people to guess which one it was, would there?

I pointed out the copyright assurance on the second screen shot to illustrate that it’s been a consistent feature since they first implemented it in 1998. Perhaps I could have been more clear in terms of how I phrased it, or explained why I showed a current screen shot to illustrate Mayer’s point.

Sorry for the confusion!

By: Al Brady

Al Brady — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:29:45 +0000

Er, guys … I hate to be the one to say it, but, there IS a Copyright sign on the Beta page (it says Copyright c 1998 Google Inc).