Google has begun experimenting with an entirely new format for search results, which could eventually let any brand, celebrity, or organization have a dedicated Twitter-like feed built right into the company's search engine. Google first started employing it last month by letting presidential campaigns post lengthy debate rebuttals — and later by curating candidates' stances on key issues like gun control and immigration. The design of these search results is similar to Google's mobile "cards," which can be swiped as well as clicked or tapped on to expand for more information.
Now the same tools are being extended to small businesses and could potentially be offered to celebrities and bigger-name brands. The change, which Google confirmed to The Verge was a test, was noticed first by search expert Mike Blumenthal, who was searching for engagement ring stores in Buffalo, New York and came across a specially designed advertisement for local seller Andrew Jewelers. Clicking on one of Andrew Jewelers' posts, which are curated into a Twitter feed-like stream of ads, opens up a dedicated full-screen webpage with text and photos. You can also share the individual posts from the search results page, but you can't like or comment on any of them. You could imagine this feature working for, say, Kanye West and his clothing line.
The initiative looks similar to a new product called Google Posts, which now has its own dedicated website. (A Google representative told The Verge that the initiative is not called Google Posts, and does not have a name.) The company calls Posts an "experimental new podium on Google" where you can "now communicate with text, images and videos directly" on the search engine. The page says it's limited to the 2016 US presidential campaign. "In the future, we plan to make it available to other prominent figures and organizations. If you're interested, please join the waitlist," the website reads. It looks like the expansion has already started.
Google's push to create new and more dynamic search results could help it establish both a social presence and a new advertising product within its most used piece of software. Google's oft-forgotten social network, Google+, remains woefully out of the picture, and the company has increasingly been looking for new methods to keep the web relevant in the age of the mobile app. So it would make sense for Google to extend the same powerful search and social features it's given to presidential candidates to brands and other high-profile people. Google says it does not plan on charging for this feature.
Update at 8:55PM ET on Friday, March 4th: Added comment from Google confirming the test.
Update at 9:20PM ET on Friday, March 4th: A Google representative clarified that the search results initiative is not called Google Posts, and does not have a name.
Comments
Yes please!. Because more Kanye West/ Kim Karadashian news is what the world is lacking. Imagine how awesome your life is gonna be if the first 10 google search results for ‘music’, ‘fashion’ or ‘culture’ are Kanye/Kim posts.
By iby_huss on 03.04.16 9:19pm
Judging from the highlighted words in the example screenshots, the search was exactly for that brand. At that point, it makes sense to show this type of posts. Same if someone searches for "Kanye West". Save the freaking out for when they start showing this for irrelevant searches.
By confor on 03.05.16 11:35am
We already have Twitter for this Google. What’s the point of this update?
By Abby94 on 03.04.16 9:33pm
We have Twitter but they don’t.
This is not a feature for us but something for them to stay relevant (like the article states)
By federicob on 03.04.16 11:10pm
I hope they come to their senses and remove the sponsored content instead. I was looking at some hotels a couple of weeks ago and had to scroll half a page to finally get to the hotel’s actual website. I bet booking.com and the likes are paying them royally.
By Onderhond on 03.05.16 3:54am
Not a royalty, a plain, simple placement fee or optimisation fee.
By Dr Strange on 03.05.16 1:54pm
TIME TO SUPPORT THE COMPETITION AND STRIKE BACK TO THE MONOPOLY OF GOOGLE !
By Keybraker on 03.05.16 7:45am
Yes! Shame on them for surfacing useful information. How dare they make our lives more comfortable?
By varagor on 03.05.16 3:27pm
Not seeing how this helps users.
By KnownHuman on 03.05.16 9:21am
It doesn’t. It helps Google’s customers.
By Dr Strange on 03.05.16 1:53pm
I think it might be helpful. Google can directly show the information you’re looking for on the results page (for example, try searching for "how to boil eggs?", there will be a card with instructions from some site at the top of the page). This initiative seems like an extension of that concept.
By varagor on 03.05.16 3:30pm
It’s not going to help users as much as it will help businesses, as that’s where the money comes from. All companies will be more than happy to have more visibility than the already old fashioned search listing and pay for it.
Google would be really dumb not to take this opportunity and transform the search into a twitter like version, as everybody uses it already. It’s already annoying specially for small companies to keep track of 10 social media accounts when actually the biggest source of traffic comes from Google. Why not use that to keep updated your customers and possible ones right within the search feed?
Specially when facebook filters your posts like hell and anyone barely sees your updates unless you pay. google can take advantage here.
By raresh on 03.05.16 10:37am
"10 social media accounts when actually the biggest source of traffic comes from Google."
That’s already starting to change
By Abby94 on 03.05.16 9:08pm
That’s why there is the term google and then there is the term web search. One and the other have less and less in common every day.
By Texax on 03.05.16 11:23am
Just a tiny nitpick: The search string you’re linking to contains a typo. It should be "andrew jewelers in buffalo", but it says "jewlers".
By varagor on 03.05.16 3:34pm