...results page (SERPs), were three squares with the letters S, M and L. The "M" square was highlighted, so I decided to have a play.

The squares allow the user to display short, medium and long versions of the search engine listings on the page. Any enhancement that gives the user more control over their search experience is a good thing in my books, but this has real potential for a searcher.

Let's look at each option in more detail.

S - Short:
This option displays only the title and the URL. Rather than wasting the space, on this option the user is shown more listings per page.

This is perfect for searchers trying to quickly scan to find a particular site based on URL or Title.

1. The Short option adds more pressure on creating compelling Titles for each page on your website. We all know Titles play an important role in the ranking process, but the short display option means balancing keyword richness with creative copy is more important than ever in terms of generating click through.
   
2. With the introduction of a Long option, the importance of relevant copy around keywords increases dramatically. As Google is likely to use lengthy extracts from the page that contain the keywords - the surrounding copy needs to tell a persuasive story.

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