Google Makes Its New Search Results Design Without Sidebar Official, Gives Results “More Breathing Room”

Earlier today, we noticed that Google was showing an increasing number of its users a new search results page with more whitespace and without a sidebar. At the time, we assumed this was an experiment, but Google has now made this new design official.

According to Google, the idea here is to provide users with a consistent search experience “across the side variety of devices and screen sizes people use today.” By doing away with the sidebar and moving the search options to a bar on top of the search results page, Google now has more room for its Knowledge Graph results.

Until now, Google showed its advanced search options in a sidebar on the left side of the screen, but these options have now moved to a bar at the top of the search results. Many of these options, it’s worth noting, are quite similar to those that appear in the black sandbar at the top of the page (think Images, Maps, Shopping etc.).

As Google notes that the advanced search tools themselves aren’t changing. A quick click on the “Search tools” options brings up virtually the same options as before.

For now, only users in the U.S. will see the new design. Google plans to bring it to users in other languages and regions soon.

Here is the full announcement:

You’ll notice a new simpler, cleaner design on the search results page — we’ve been working on ways to create a consistent search experience across the wide variety of devices and screen sizes people use today. We started with tablets last year, got it to mobile phones a few weeks ago, and are now rolling out to the desktop.

With the new design, there’s a bit more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you’re looking for, whether from web results or from a feature like the Knowledge Graph:

The same advanced tools you’re used to are still there when you need them. Just click on “Search tools” to filter or drill down on your results:

It’s going out to Google.com users in the U.S. to start, and we want to get it to users in other languages and regions as soon as we can. We hope you enjoy this design refresh — let us know what you think on our Google+ page.