The rumours about the new visual design for Google are true, and some clever  bod from Gizmodo has figured out how to enable it. For screen shots of this exciting new interface, and how to get it yourself, check out the rest of this article.

The new search results layout is being referred to as the 3 panel layout with,

• the paid results on the right
• the natural results in the centre
• and a new control panel on the left

The horizontal tabs within the left panel duplicate many of the links currently listed on the top, such as images. Note though that these tabs are dynamic in nature, if theres ‘enough’ relevant image results than the image tab is shown, if theres enough news results then.. you get the idea.

Immediate thoughts are that is has once again become even more important to rank highly in these verticals if you’re looking to maximise natural exposure, simply because users are more likely to click these results, especially if you believe in the F-pattern of usability.

Take a look at the options below these tabs, which when clicked change the search results. Note how that these options dependent on the tab your viewing.

Clearly these changes are important to us, it changes how people use google, what results they see, what results they may click on.

The best way to get a feel for this is to try it out for yourself, follow the instructions here (don’t worry it’s easy to do) and you’ll be well away with the new Google in no time.