14 DAY TRIAL // The Google homepage is one of the most iconic web pages. It has gone through a rather thorough redesign recently, but it’s still as recognizable as ever. Since its launch, the page’s defining characteristic has been its simplicity and minimal design. Google is now rolling out a feature that will put an end to that, in a sense, by enabling users to upload their own photos to use as backgrounds for the Google homepage.
“From iGoogle’s debut in 2005 to our more recent launch of stars in search in March, we’ve enjoyed making your search experience more relevant, useful and fun through personalization,” Marissa Mayer, VP of Search and User Experience at Google, wrote.
“Today, we’re introducing a new feature that brings a whole new level of personalization to Google by letting you add a favorite photo or image to the background of the Google homepage. You can choose a photo from your computer, your own Picasa Web Album or a public gallery hosted by Picasa which includes a selection of beautiful photos,” she announced.
When the feature goes live, users will see a link in the lower left corner enabling them to customize the Google homepage. They can choose from a variety of sources, either their own photos or other images they like. Google has even set up a special Picasa web album with photos that would look great as a background image.
The personalized homepage background feature is going live in the US over the next few days, Google says. Everyone else will have to wait just a little longer, but it could be live for all localized Google homepages by the end of the week.
Over the years, there have been several websites that offered Google search with a customizable background. They were no replacement for the real thing, but their simple existence means that people wanted the feature. And, of course, Bing’s signature look involves a background image, so maybe Google thought it was a good-enough idea to incorporate it itself. It wouldn’t be the first time Google Search borrowed a good idea from Bing, for example, the permanent left sidebar that Google introduced with the redesign.