We frequently advise brands on how to create engaging content and connect with the users of their services. For every brand, we offer a unique cocktail of tips and techniques, but at the core, what we recommend is to be conversational, ask questions, and focus on the user. One great example of this type of thinking is the recent launch of a new site by Google: http://wdyl.com. With it, Google is asking users one big, awesome question: What Do You Love? After you click the heart shaped submit button, Google serves you a clean, organized page of results, all of which feature various existing Google services.



This would be a great idea for any company, but for Google, this idea is pure genius. Not only are they offering users a great, simple, fun experience, but they’re taking all of the separate Google sites and services and bringing them together into a single page of results. We’re all inundated with emails, tweets, and products launching every day, so it’s incredibly refreshing to see a service that just simplifies everything, killing so many birds with one stone.

Additionally, the Google experience tends to be utilitarian. After all, there is great utility in most of Google’s products. But something is different with this site. It’s inviting. It’s personal. It’s human in a way that Google has never been before.

With the release of Google+, a refresh to the UI of core Google services like Gmail, and this new What-Do-You-Love site, it’s clear that Google is trying to reinvent itself. So far, they’re doing an awesome job at raising the bar.