When I Highlight the Google Logo It Disappears

A number of factors can cause website logos like Google's to disappear.

Though many users instantly recognize the colorful Google logo posted on the company’s search engine and other websites, Google is renowned for frequently altering the image or changing it when a user’s mouse pointer passes over the logo area. A changing image can help keep the site fresh, but a number of issues can cause the logo to completely disappear.

About Image Hover

Google, like many Web companies, uses special programming code to alter the logo when a user passes the mouse pointer over its logo. Web programmers use Javascript code to display an alternate image or add some functionality when the website detects the user’s mouse pointer has entered the region of the Web page displaying a graphic file. According to an overview of Google’s services posted in the company’s Help section, Google adds menu functionality to its logo in some parts of its site. Additionally, the company occasionally displays an alternate image when a user mouses over the logo on the main Google search page.

File Problems

In some cases, the user’s computer can’t display the image because it can't render a visual representation of the graphic file. If the secondary logo file is corrupt on the Google server, for example, the browser can’t display the file and the logo will disappear when the user highlights it. Additionally, if the Web page points to the wrong image file, whether through a misspelling of the file name or because the file doesn’t exist, the browser can't retrieve it for display.

Connection Issues

Even if the secondary image file exists on the server and is suitable for display, Internet connectivity issues may still prevent it from appearing on the user’s computer as the Google web designer intended. Users with dial-up connections may not be able to receive large image files quickly enough for the browser to display them on demand. Even users with broadband connections may have difficulty receiving files during periods of heavy Internet usage, high demand on Google servers or Internet service provider network outages.

Considerations

Though disappearing logos occur for a number of reasons, the conditions causing the images to go missing are usually temporary. In addition, Google frequently changes its logo and removes or replaces the code designed to change the image, so users may only experience a disappearing logo for a brief time before the site returns to normal operation.

References

• Kyle Schaeffer: Pure CSS Image Hover
• Google Help: Results Page Full Overview

Resources

• Google