To accommodate internet users' multi-device habits, Google changes its logo and products bar for better UX.

Though its updates were slight, Google’s recent logo and homepage revamp sent a message to companies looking to win on the web. The company muted the color pallet and flattened the three-dimensional lettering of its logo and streamlined navigation between Google Products. The search engine believes multi-device will matter more in the future and it’s best for marketers who want visitors to have positive visitor interactions (and SEO success) to offer seamless navigation experiences.

As the leading search engine, you might wonder why Google would invest at all – new looks can be a risk. According to comScore‘s August 2013 U.S. Search Engine Rankings, Google sites earned 67 percent of all explicit core searches. Competitors Microsoft (Bing) and Yahoo account for around 18 and 11 percent, respectively. Given Google’s impressive lead, why change something that’s already working? (Need I bring up the ‘New Coke‘ debacle?)

However, Google’s upgrades seem to be aimed at improving user experience by optimizing its pages for display across devices. An official announcement from The Official Google Search blog explains that most people crossover from desktops to mobile devices, tablets to laptops as they perform tasks, conduct research and consume web content. To accommodate this new behavior, the site allows users to navigate easily between applications like Gmail, News, Maps, YouTube and Search without clicking away.

“Regardless of your routine, getting around Google should be seamless, and once you’re inside an app, you don’t want any distractions,” Google Tech Lead and Manager writes in the post.

“Getting around Google should be seamless, and once you’re inside an app, you don’t want any distractions.”

Chances are marketers are not managing a website with numerous applications and web properties in the same way as Google. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t updates that can fuel website conversions. If brands improve their own site navigation, they might also minimize distractions, encourage visitors to stay connected on social media or stay on the site longer and click to valuable conversion pages.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.