Will Google Search Look Like Digg Once Users Vote On SERPs?

24th July 2008

Google has been bucket testing a new interface on some randomly selected users. Recently a screen shot of the new interface along with a video showing the new search features was screened. This interface has a very Digg-like look and feel.

A video demonstrating this new search results page feature can be see on TechCrunch. A screenshot has been provided below, also courtesy of TechCrunch:

Google's new Digg-like interface

Users of the new search results test page are able to express their opinions of the search results by moving them up or down at will – by using the thumbs up or down icon. If the user votes a result down, it disappears and turns into an inconspicuous link at the bottom of the page, while if they vote it up, it will move up the search results.

Comments posted alongside individual search results listings are also being tested simultaneously by Google. Individual comments can also be upgraded or downgraded by other users. Clicking on the username of the person who posted the comment will show their Google account profile.

The new interface incorporates a lot of Digg’s most popular features. This has sparked off rumours that Google might be looking to acquire Digg, though this seems odd given that Google can already replicate Digg’s functionality on their search results, as can be clearly seen in this test.

Google has been working on this project for a long time now, but it is only in the last few days, that users have been given an experience of what the new interface will look like. It will still be quite some time before the finished product is released, if ever, but it does give search marketers and some users a hint of things to come.

Tags: digg, google, seo, social media

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Google - Digg Deal Called Off | AccuraCast Search Daily News : 29 July 2008 at 7:06 pm

[...] In what seems like more than just a coincidence, Google started testing a Digg-like voting system for its own organic search results just last week. One might almost wonder – even though it obviously would not be the case – could Google have just freely borrowed ideas from Digg and then walked away once they got what they needed? [...]

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