With the launch of Google's new personalization options yesterday, the #2 search on Google's trends page today is "remove Google background". I myself wondered what the new background was all about, if it would be a permanent fixture and why it reminded me so much of another search engine.
The change didn't go unnoticed by many. The group at Microsoft's Bing search engine - which also has similar photos on its homepage - didn't have an official comment to make at this time. However, other channels on Twitter mentioned how some of the same photos that have been used on Bing are now up on Google's homepage. Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
While web personalization may catch on, I don't see this background change being a permanent fixture for Google. They havefocused their brand too long with a "simple is better" type of approach for the homepage. There is no need for the #1 search provider in the world to change, especially after looking at the recent search trends.