Like Me? Follow Me.
There has been a huge amount of gossip and speculation over the past couple of days, fed by Google doodles that have popped up on the UK and German search engine homepages. The fact that these logo changes are arriving at the same time as a major announcement, due to be made by Google today in San Francisco, surely can't be coincidental, can it?
Balls Doodle
The first doodle was a flashy graphical bouncy ball animation, which interacted with the user's mouse, merging together and then blowing apart depending on where you click or place the cursor.
The new doodle was created using HTML5 code, thus there is speculation that the announcement could relate to Google now using this new form of web language on their browser. On the other hand, some believe that the doodle was simply a way of celebrating the 12th anniversary of the search engine, which was officially incorporated on the 7th of September 1998.
Others think that it could be a doodle to mark the first release of JavaScript in September 1995. Usually these Google doodles or logos are clickable or can be hovered over for more information on the context. This one however, reveals nothing - how mysterious...
Grey Doodle
Today's Google doodle was a little more subtle and subdued; a grey logo which comes to life as you type in the search box. To the savvy SEO'er this could be some sort of message about grey hat SEO techniques, but for the rest of us this hints at the streaming search results that have been tested recently. This new innovation updates results simultaneously as you type your search term, creating a faster and more dynamic user experience.
The Big Announcement
From the look of the invite (see below), the announcement itself is clearly related to the Search side of the business. For those of us who weren't invited, here is a sneak peak at what the invitation looks like, as well as a list of speakers from Google.
Speculation points towards the possible launch of HTML 5 development, visual search & streaming search. We should see information from the Google announcement flooding the World Wide Web tonight between 7pm and 9pm UK time.
With all marketing ploys and PR stunts, there is always the hope that what it leads up to will be worth the anticipation and hype. Let's hope Google doesn't disappoint with this announcement and the "evolution of Google search" doesn't prove to be an SEO disaster.
As with all Google updates, launches, innovations and roll-outs, users, SEO professionals and clients should watch this space (or search results).
If you have any thoughts or speculation on the announcement please leave a comment below.
Discussion
Leave a Reply