Google has announced a number of changes to its core search functionality, focusing on faster and more convenient web searches and more.
Announced on his Search at conference (opens in a new tab)All of these changes will be made in the United States, and the first major introduction is the introduction of shortcuts to various tools that will be placed just below the search bar.
These are things like an icon for translating text with the camera, identifying a melody by humming it, or helping with homework through the camera – common tasks that might be needed and now can be accessed very quickly with a tap on the appropriate shortcut.
In this case, the feature will initially appear in the US Google iOS app (English), and there will undoubtedly be a wider rollout.
For faster and more intuitive basic searches, Google introduces subject options that appear directly below the search box as you type your query. An example given by Google is someone who enters “Mexico’s best cities” and after typing that text pops up some suggestions for completing the query – such as “for families”, “for expats”, “retire”, and so on. These are the most likely options you will need and hopefully they will allow you to finish your inquiry quickly with one tap.
Again, this feature will be rolled out in the US (in English) for starters, in the “coming months” as reported by Google, and the same is true for the rest of the features we intend to explore.
Next up are the details revealed by the search, which again in the example of a Google search for a city will now clearly include visual stories and videos of people who visited that particular place. The emphasis is on providing more practical information, such as tips on getting around the city, how to travel there, or what to do during your stay, and not just, say, historical or geographic facts for example (not that you won’t continue to some of them as Results).
Once the search is complete, there will also be suggestion buttons below the search box, indicating further topics you may want to explore, such as the beaches of that city you intend to visit – you just click on them and dive even deeper into further suggestions as needed.
Finally, Google tells us that it is changing the way search results are presented to “better reflect the way people explore topics,” meaning that as you scroll down, related topics will be highlighted. Following the city example given, these topics include results on local cuisine and recipes, musical traditions, arts, and so on.
Analysis: Some massive changes to keep pace with the times
The overall goal is therefore to make your search easier and faster, as we mentioned at the beginning, and to provide more practical content and advice – such as videos of people who have visited a place – and to simplify it as much as possible to see and research all related topics.
Recently, in some corners of the web, we’ve noticed threads of complaints that Google is no longer what it used to be when it comes to quality of search results, so perhaps the company felt it was time to start changing things up – in quite a big way. There is definitely a fresh take on the search here with all these different elements, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out when we actually use the new search; and of course what is the reaction of those who have become more skeptical of Google.
Google is almost as old as a web veteran as you’ll find, and it can’t help but keep up with the times. So when there’s a rumor that young people are hitting TikTok to discover things and not Google Search, it has to be, well, maybe not a threat to Google, but certainly something that is a bit of a concern and should be addressed attention.
When other regions outside the United States will experience these changes, we don’t know, but with the United States declining in numbers in “the coming months,” it looks set to be a slow rollout, especially on a global scale. semesters.