Two years ago, Google appointed its head of artificial intelligence to lead Search in a move that reflected the future of the company. Today, John Giannandrea is stepping down from those positions, with Google veterans Ben Gomes and Jeff Dean taking over.
Last December after a year of testing, Google announced that its mobile-first indexing of Search results was underway to better reflect how many people use the web. Today, it is officially rolling out, beginning by “migrating sites that follow the best practices.”
In a continued effort to improve its relationship with online news outlets, Google is apparently preparing a new search feature that favors subscription-based content.
Besides the upcoming AMP Stories, Google has a “Posts” format for verified people, places, and things to share right in Search results. Google Posts are now opening up to well known musicians.
Given the importance of speed as a metric, Google at Mobile World Congress is introducing new tools to help mobile sites improve their end-user experiences. The first is a comparison tool, while the second helps calculate the monetary impact of speed.
In case you missed it, Google recently made a change as result of a lawsuit that removed the convenient “view image” button from search results. Now, just a day later, there’s already a Chrome extension that brings it back.
Google is rolling out a minor redesign to its Search suggestion feature that notes what other people are looking for. This functionality is aimed at helping users find similar queries that might answer their lookups.
Following in the footsteps of Instagram, Snapchat, and others, Google now allows users to tap through bite-size news stories within its search results page. Here’s how to find and use Google’s brand new AMP Stories…
With the internet going mobile-first, companies and news publications are trying to find new ways to get information online in formats that readers will love. Google’s latest attempt at making this possible is something called AMP Stories. As the name implies, these resemble a mix of Instagram Stories and Snapchat’s Discovery section…
Given its dominant position throughout various industries, Google is no stranger to antitrust complaints from around the world. The latest is by India and involves Google Search allegedly abusing its dominant position in the marketplace.
About a year ago, the Google app for Android and iOS added a carousel of shortcuts just underneath the Search bar. Highlighting Search’s various built-in capabilities, Google announced this week that the shortcuts are being removed.
Featured Snippets that provide quick answers to Search results are an ongoing source of controversy for Google given occasional and, sometimes, blatant errors. Today, Google is doing more outreach about it, and Search in general, as well as detailing upcoming new functionality.
Google’s Search ranking algorithm takes into account a number of factors when ordering results. The latest signal that will soon be factored in when ordering mobile Search results is page speed, though there are some key caveats.
Back in August, Google announced an “extensive redesign” of the Search Console used for tracking and optimizing site performance in Search. While still in beta, the revamped site with its new design and tools is beginning to rollout for all users.
In late 2016, Google began experimenting with mobile-first indexing of Search results to provide an experience that better reflects how people now use the web. A year later, Google has provided an update on the effort that is now underway for a “handful of sites.”
Besides YouTube, Google’s other major yearly recap is for Search. The big trend — as encapsulated by the annual video — in 2017’s top searches are questions of “how.” These queries range from how to help those affected by natural disasters, local communities, and more. Meanwhile, Google has also posted the global and national list of top searches.
Earlier this week, Google announced that Featured Snippets in Search results would gain relevant images to aid in answering questions. Today, the search engine is going a step further by adding in-line video answers to certain questions. Specifically, queries about celebrities that have been answered by the stars themselves.
Google is gaining a number of new features today that center on surfacing related suggestions and content to your search. Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, and select topics are all getting updated to surface these similar queries that users might find interesting.
Back in August, Google rolled out a Knowledge Panel in Search that featured a clinically validated screening quiz for depression. Today, Google is adding a similar questionnaire for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Google has had a long-running Finance service that lists stocks, news, tools, and other related information on a dedicated page. As part of an upcoming update, many of Google Finance’s features are being integrated directly into Search as part of a new dedicated tab.
In time for Black Friday, a number of product and shopping-related features are rolling out to Google. Search on all platforms is adding useful info to knowledge panels about products, as well as spec and comparison tools.
Since its launch in 2015, many publishers have adopted Accelerated Mobile Pages for the loading speed benefit they provide. However, some sites are using AMP as teaser pages that require a second click to view a full article. To combat this, Google Search is adopting a content parity requirement next year.
Some of Google’s best tools are the ones built right into its powerful search engine. One of those is Google’s job search tool, and today it’s getting some very welcome upgrades.
Last week, Google Search began rolling out a redesign that rounded the UI of its mobile website. Today, that same redesign is more widely rolling out to Android, along with deeper changes to how the full app looks and operates.
