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Google’s Instant Preview may just shake up web design forever

November 12, 2010 |

Google's new feature is a side-order of Google Instant, but Instant Preview will probably end up being more important than the main, insofar as it gives users a preview of the web pages thrown up by the search, and highlights the relevant snippet of text.

Instant Preview will potentially allow Google to own more of our browsing experience. Instead of leaving Google in order to browse the web, you will be browsing the results, rather than the pages suggested in the search itself. The feature may also force websites to redesign their pages in order to conform to Google's design criteria: on the firm's Webmaster Central blog, this is one of its suggestions:

"Try to avoid interstitial pages, ad pop-ups, or other elements that interfere with your content. In some cases, these distracting elements may be picked up in the preview of your page, making the screenshots less attractive."

"In general, Instant Previews is yet another reason for webmasters to design sites that are as useful as possible, following the best practices. With previews, people can peek at sites before visiting, which means they are more likely to copare them visually and pick the one that looks the best. In general, this should benefit webmasters who have well-designed sites with great information," says Google.

Get the full story at Fast Company

Read also Wired Magazine's take on Google Instant Preview

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