When you visit Google.com today, you might notice something a little bit different then normal. As TechCrunch and others have noted, Google is trying out new homepage layouts today. They have several different types that they doing a bucket test with; that means they give access to the page to only a few users.

The new design features nothing but the Google logo, and an empty, wordless search box. In some versions the "I'm Feeling Lucky" and "Search" buttons only show up when you mouse over them. In other versions those two buttons are the only ones in attendance. We don't know yet which version, if any, Google will pick for widespread adoption.

Since the beginning, Google has strayed away from cluttering their homepage up with unnecessary words, widgets, and other distractions. This could be one of the big reasons that they've been so successful. All of their competitors (look at Yahoo and Bing) fill their pages with news items, different options, pretty pictures, and other things that don't do a lick to help you find what you're looking for.

When I visit Google.com, I'm going there to search for something. All I need to see is the Google logo, and an empty white box. That's all any of us needs to see. Everyone with one iota of Internet savvy will be able to figure out what to do on Google's new web page, and most of us will probably end up thanking them for adding a smidgen of simplicity to our lives.