Yesterday, blanking on the name of the movie Magnolia, I googled the phrase “tom cruise movies,” and saw a really surprising result (click the image to enlarge):
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Knowledge Graph on Steroids!!! This huge, sliding row of movie posters at the top of the page – very reminiscent of Netflix’s browsing design – is beyond eye-catching; it’s practically all I can see. When you click on one of the movie posters, you’re directed to a new SERP, as though you searched for the name of that movie:
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Larry saw something similar this week on his mobile phone while doing a tourism-related search:
Image may be NSFW.
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What’s Going on Here?
You haven’t forgotten my big conspiracy theory about the Google Knowledge Graph, have you? I suspect that Google is trying to train users to pay more attention to the parts of the page that have traditionally been reserved for ads. They started with the right side of the screen; now they’re using the very top of the SERP (again, space that’s usually given over to sponsored results) with big, flashy, colorful, clickable pictures. People see movie posters and think, “Hey! That’s exactly what I was looking for!” Then next week, when they do a commercial search for something like “single-serving coffee makers,” they see big pretty pictures again – only this time, those pictures are product listing ads. Products listings are now a “purely commercial model.” That means clicking them results in revenue for Google.
Have you seen a SERP like this, and if so, what type of search was it for?
This post originated on the WordStream Blog. WordStream provides keyword tools for pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) aiding in everything from keyword discovery to keyword grouping and organization.
