Google began Tuesday serving up revamped search pages that give results more room by shifting the tools menu to the top of the screen. The California-based Internet titan said the change was intended to streamline search pages and make the layout on desktop computers consistent with those on smartphones and tablets. "You'll notice a new simpler, cleaner design on the search results page," Google Search lead designer Jon Wiley said in a blog post.

"There's a bit more breathing room, and more focus on the answers you're looking for, whether from Web results or from a feature like the Knowledge Graph."

Google began rolling out new search results pages in the United States and said it wanted to make them available to users in other regions "as soon as we can."

Google also said that as part of its effort to streamline the service, it will stop letting people use background images to customize search homepages effective November 16.