Many users today primarily interact with the mobile web, given the worldwide proliferation of phones. Google Search set out on accounting for this change in 2016, and later this year will use mobile-first indexing for the whole web.
After natural disasters, Google often sets up an SOS alert for search terms of interest in the affected areas. After a devastating series of tornadoes went through Nashville, Tennessee, last night, Google has set up an SOS alert.
When you Google someone’s name, if they’re famous enough, a full Knowledge Graph card will appear with their description, social media, and more. In India, Google is testing letting far more people create their own “profile card” to appear in Google searches for their name, as well as in Chrome.
Given its ubiquity, Google Search makes for a great place to host online voting. The latest example is an extensive vote on Google.com for Pokémon of the Year.
Given the reach of Google Search, it’s a key method for disseminating information during emergencies. Google today activated an SOS Alert for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to quickly provide key news and other resources.
The Google Search Console is a tool for webmasters to manage a site’s presence on the search engine. A new version of the Removals report lets them temporarily hide pages, and provides other related information.
During the 2020 Grammy Awards, Google will air an ad called “The Most Searched” as a
“Celebration of Black History Makers.” It’s a look at “Black icons, events and movements that were the most searched.”
At the start of last week, Google introduced a new design for desktop Search that adds site favicons to every result. Some users reacted very vocally, and Google is now experimenting with new Search designs in response to the favicon backlash.
Google Search is the company’s best-known product — it’s what made Google a household name. Over time, though, the search engine has evolved functionally and visually. Recently, Google changed search results to show icons on different sites, and everyone seems to have a different opinion about it.
Over the past several years, Google has moved to provide people with a direct answer when they search. These “Featured Snippets” power Google Assistant queries, and the company is now making a tweak to not repeat them in web results.
Over the past several years, Google has been adding a bookmarking feature to all of Search. “Collections” is getting a prominent launch by being elevated to its own Google app tab on Android.
Online shopping today is incredibly lucrative with various Google products, including a dedicated site, optimized for it. To make it easier to virtually browse, Google Search is bringing together different stores and brands into a new “Product products” card.
While most large retailers already have their inventory online, the same cannot be said about local stores. To power its “See what’s in store” feature, Google announced today that it’s acquiring Dublin-based Pointy.
For years, Google allowed users to try upcoming products and experimental features within existing products ahead of a wider release through a program called Labs, which has since been discontinued. Now, Labs is making a comeback through the Google app, bringing with it experimental features like pinch-to-zoom for search results.
While there’s no doubt that Google is what comes to mind when most people think of a search engine, there are a plethora of other great choices on both web and mobile like DuckDuckGo. Following a silent auction last year, Google has unveiled the search engines that will be presented to Android devices in the European Economic Area.
Google invites K-12 students every year to create a Doodle for the iconic Search homepage. Doodle for Google 2020 is now accepting U.S. submissions with a “I show kindness by…” theme.
Earlier this year, the Google app weather card was redesigned with themed cover images that match the current condition. Google Weather and the whimsical frog are now getting in on the New Year’s Eve action with a series of 2020 illustrations, depending on your forecast.
Earlier this year, it emerged that TurboTax and other tax services “deliberately” hid free filing options from Google Search. The IRS just announced that those companies have agreed to no longer engage in tactics that result in Americans paying for tools when a free option is available.
Keeping track of what you’re watching is harder than ever in the golden age of television and various streaming services. Google is adding a built-in “Watchlist” to Search that lets you quickly bookmark movies and TV shows.
Given people’s tendency to search for things rather than enter URLs, Google in recent years has been directly integrated contest voting. Search and Assistant this year are again the official third-party partners for the NBA All-Star Vote.
Earlier this month, Google AR & VR announced that ARCore phones could detect depth using just a single lens. Object blending is now beginning to roll out in Google Search AR.
There’s a search widget on the homescreen of almost every Android smartphone and, for a long time, it was able to search both Google and the data stored on your phone and in your account. However, it appears that results for the latter are starting to be buried in the Google app as the Search widget hides personal results.
Back in July, Google redesigned the News tab in desktop Search. Looking for current events on mobile is now getting its own revamp with what Google calls “smarter organization” though machine learning and richer article cards.
