Google’s new design for its search results has been met with both criticism and praise from those in the SEO industry.

Some aspects of Google’s new layout seem to have had an adverse effect on SEO, while other aspects are being hailed as a new opportunity for businesses.

One of the negative effects of Google’s new layout and Caffeine algorithm change is the damage it has done to “long tail” phrases. “Long tail” refers to more specific searches rather than shorter generalized search phrases.

There are reports surfacing that the new Google actually hurts big sites with many long tail phrases. Sites that rely on thousands of searchers looking for complex search queries are discovering that long tail traffic is down by about 2/3.

On the positive side, those using social media as a way to promote their business like the new Google.

There is actually new opportunity in the social media realm looming in the new structure of Google search results, especially as some previously hidden aspects now show up as menu items. The addition of real time results, the more prominent position of blog results and the new discussions menu item for results from forums are all proving very useful to SEO experts.

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