Jul 16, 2011 08:34 GMT  ·  By

Google is not done revamping its search site. The new redesign may be live for everyone, but it seems that Google is still testing a few changes. Among them is a fixed header and sidebar layout that some people are seeing.

Also in the works is a new design for Instant Preview, which integrates with the revamped site.

The change isn't huge and it's a layout tweak that's been implemented by a lot of sites. But any change that affects hundreds of millions of people is a big one.

Users that see the new test version of the site will notice that the header, with the search box and logo, as well as the sidebar with search tools and filters stay fixed while scrolling the results page.

This means that users have access to all of the tools and filters no matter where they are in the page. It's a small tweak, but one that has big usability implications.

As Google Operating System notes, this also paves the way for an infinite scroll search results page. This could mean that there will be no more search results pages, possibly leading to users seeing a wider range of results.

Of course, people rarely end up to the end of the page with the first 10 results and even more rarely go to the second page, so this change will likely not affect many.

Still, it could be a boon for long tail searches and the ones that the algorithm doesn't do so well on.

Another new feature spotted, still in testing, is a new Instant Preview that integrates with the new design mantra at Google. The previews also feel part of the page rather than a pop-up as they currently look like. Likely, Google is not done with the redesign and we'll see more changes and tweaks in the coming weeks.