Google and Doodle: What a Google Doodle Is, and What It Teaches a Business Owner

Google and doodle usually points to one thing: the Google Doodle, the temporary artwork that replaces the Google logo on the search page for a holiday, an anniversary or a person worth remembering. Some are just pictures. Some are small games you can play in your browser. Below are short answers to what people ask most, and then what a search like this teaches you about getting found.

What is a Google Doodle?

A Google Doodle is a temporary change to the Google logo. Instead of the normal letters, you see an illustration, an animation or a small game. Click it and you usually land on a search for the subject of the Doodle.

Google uses Doodles to mark things like national days, scientists, artists, sports events and anniversaries. Which Doodle you see can depend on the country you are in. A Doodle that is on the page in Spain might not show up on Bonaire or in the UK.

Google keeps an archive of past Doodles on its own Doodles website. That is the place to look if you want the story behind one, or if you want to see what was on the page on a certain day.

How do I change my Google Doodle?

You can't pick the Doodle on the Google search page. Google decides which one is shown, and when. There is no setting to switch it off or choose a different one.

What you can change is the look of your own browser. In Chrome, for example, you can set a background and colour theme for the new tab page. That is not the same as changing the Doodle, but it is the closest thing most people need.

If you want to see a Doodle that is no longer on the page, go to the Doodle archive instead. You can browse it and open old ones from there.

Can I play old Google Doodles, and which games are the best?

Yes. The archive on Google's Doodles website keeps many of the interactive ones, and you can play them again. Look for the ones marked as games.

Which one is the funnest is a matter of taste. These are the ones people most often mention:

• Pac-Man: the classic arcade game, playable right on the page.
• Snake: simple, quick and hard to stop playing.
• Magic Cat Academy: a Halloween game where you draw shapes to defeat ghosts.
• Champion Island Games: a larger game with several sports and a story around it.
• Coding for Carrots: a small game that introduces the idea of programming with simple blocks.

Does Doodle for Google still exist, and what does "doodle" mean today?

Doodle for Google is a student art contest where young people draw their own version of the Google logo. Google has run it in several countries. I can't tell you if it is running where you live right now, so check Google's official Doodle for Google page for the current status.

The word "doodle" has more than one meaning today. It still means a quick, absent-minded drawing. It is also the Google Doodle. And it is the name of an online tool for scheduling meetings, which is why you also see Android apps from Doodle.com in the results for this search.

That mix of meanings matters, and it is where the business lesson starts.

What can a small business learn from a search like "google and doodle"?

Look at who types "google and doodle". Most of them want to play a game, read some history or find a scheduling app. Very few of them want to hire a plumber, book a hotel room or buy flowers.

That is the difference between a search with a lot of visitors and a search with customers in it. A word can have huge interest and still be useless for your business. If your page ranks for it, you get visitors who leave after ten seconds.

The same thing happens on a small scale. A garage that writes about "car" gets people looking at car photos. A garage that writes about "MOT test in Leeds" or "brake repair near me" gets people who need a garage this week.

Google also shows a mix of results when a word has several meanings. For "google and doodle" you see an official social account, a history page, videos, an app and a contest. If your business name or service is a word with other meanings, expect the same. Your page has to make it obvious, fast, which meaning you are.

How do you find the searches that bring customers?

You do not need special software to start. You need an hour and a bit of honesty about what you sell. Here is how I would do it:

• Write down the 5 things you sell most, in the words a customer would use, not your own trade words.
• Add the place. People looking for a service almost always include a town, island or region, or say "near me".
• Type each one into Google and look at the results. If the top results are shops and businesses like yours, the search has buyers in it. If they are videos, games or encyclopaedia pages, it does not.
• Add the questions customers ask you on the phone. "How much does it cost?" and "How long does it take?" are searches too.
• Give each important search its own page, instead of squeezing everything onto the home page.

Where do you go from here?

Long, specific searches have fewer visitors, but the visitors know what they want. I explain how to find them on the keyword research page. If you want the bigger picture first, read what SEO is and how it works.

If you already have a website and are not sure which of your pages bring the right visitors, an SEO audit for €199 shows you what is working and what is not. Prefer to start without paying anything? Send me your website and I will look at it myself. Request the free quickscan. It is free, even if you don't buy anything.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my Google Doodle?

You can't. Google chooses the Doodle and it can differ per country. You can change your browser, for example the background of the Chrome new tab page, but not the logo on the search page. To see a Doodle that is gone, open the Doodle archive.

Can I play old Google Doodles?

Yes. Google's Doodles website has an archive of past Doodles, and many of the interactive ones can be played again in your browser. Browse the archive and look for the games, such as Pac-Man, Snake or Magic Cat Academy.

Does Doodle for Google still exist?

Doodle for Google is a student art contest that Google has run in several countries. Whether it is running in your country this year, I can't say for sure. Check the official Doodle for Google page on Google's website for the current details.

What does "doodle" mean today?

It means a quick drawing made while your mind is elsewhere. It also refers to the Google Doodle, the artwork on Google's logo. And Doodle is an online tool for scheduling meetings. Which meaning someone has in mind depends on the context of the search.

Can my business get its own Google Doodle?

No. Google picks the subjects itself, and they are usually about public events, anniversaries or well-known people. A better use of your time is making your website and your Google Business Profile clear, so customers find you when they search for what you sell.

Dimitry founder of Growetic. He does SEO, Google Ads and websites for businesses in the Netherlands, on Bonaire and in Spain.