Usability!
I’m not going to lie- I am a huge fan of Google. They basically have their finger on the pulse of what the people want, and they have a very firm grasp on how to present it to the people.
First and foremost, there’s the logical layout. The first thing you see on coming into the search engine is the search dialog. You put in what you want, push the button, and boom, you’ve got 7 billion results to choose from. There’s no bullshit bogging down the page, it’s straightforward and to the point. If you want to visit one of the other applications, such as Google Maps, there’s a link that’s discreet but obvious. The links don’t distract from the main point of the search engine, but they’re easy to find if you want them.
Nowadays, I don’t think anybody doesn’t know what Google does, but if someone didn’t, then the search bar would provide an obvious indicator. This isn’t a news site, or some site trying to sell something. The only graphic on the main page is the logo which provides more than enough colour to keep the page looking fun and not sterile. Doubly so when they have a special logo for some anniversary. (At the time of this posting, they are celebrating Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary. The “l” in “Google” has been replaced with Big Bird’s legs and the font is yellow)
In the event that you want more information about Google, there’s a set of links at the bottom, which still fits on the browser with my netbook’s resolution of 1024×600. Everything you need is there, without needing to scroll. (At least, until you get to the results page)
For my money, you’d be hard pressed to find a website with better usability than something made by Google. Now if I can get them to pay me to say stuff like that, I’d be set.
