People don’t like change. Spotify’s logo hue switcheroo proved that. And now Google has proven it too.
Google is testing a new version of its search results page that features black links, not blue. The change isn’t global however; Google is A/B testing the feature, which means only select users will experience the black links.
The earliest Twitter reports of Google’s black links date back to May 7. There are also intermittent reports of Google testing different shades of blue, too.
(Via Twitter)
In any case, the internet is furious. Obviously.
https://twitter.com/statuses/728985156581609472
https://twitter.com/statuses/729033396224151552
Twitter users have spoken out against the black links en masse, condemning Google for not consulting them about the change first.
https://twitter.com/statuses/729051098883883008
https://twitter.com/statuses/729159042816303104
Related: Best Android Smartphones 2016
Fortunately, A/B testing is, well, testing. Google won’t necessarily adopt the change. The search engine giant likely wants to see whether black links increase the volume of search result click-throughs or, more likely, advertisement click-throughs.
https://twitter.com/statuses/729254178481115136
https://twitter.com/statuses/729373570980319233
Many of the outraged users make a fair point, however: the black links make it harder to tell whether you’ve visited a page previously. Usually, links turn from blue to purple when you’ve clicked them once. But the black links are always black.
https://twitter.com/statuses/728876256373186560
https://twitter.com/statuses/728927128264265728
https://twitter.com/statuses/728773977120776193
Watch our Android N Hands-on:
What colour do you think Google’s search result links should be? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.