Beginning with Featured Snippet callouts, Google today unveiled a number of enhancements aimed at enhancing information quality and literacy in Search.
For specific searches that can be swiftly answered, featured snippets are what show up at the top of Google Search results. The one-word (yes/no) or brief sentence callouts are the focus of this important innovation to raise the quality.
Google can comprehend consensus and determine if there is one for a Snippet callout using its Multitask Unified Model (MUM):
Even when sources use different words or concepts to describe the same thing, our systems can check snippet callouts—the word or words highlighted in a larger font above the featured snippet—against other high-quality sources on the web to determine whether there is a general consensus for that callout.
Additionally, Google Search is becoming more adept at deciding whether or not to display Featured Snippets in the first place, particularly in reaction to erroneous assumptions.
When there is no clear response, this is especially beneficial. For instance, a recent search for “when did Snoopy assassinate Abraham Lincoln” produced a sample highlighting the precise date and details of the assassination, but this is obviously not the most helpful method to convey the result.
This year, Google will make About this result available in eight additional languages, including Portuguese (PT), French (FR), Italian (IT), German (DE), Dutch (NL), Spanish (ES), Japanese (JP), and Indonesian, all of which are related to information literacy (ID).
Since its launch last year, About this result has been used 2.4 billion times to provide more context about a website before visiting. New information is being added, such as how widely a source is used, online reviews of a source or company, whether a company is owned by another entity, and even when our systems can’t find much information about a source. Additionally, the Google app (for iOS) now makes it simpler to access by using a swipe up rather than just the three-dot menu.
Last but not least, content advisories will now show up when Google’s systems don’t have a lot of faith in the general caliber of the search results. You can still scroll down and view the results, though.
FTC: We employ income-generating auto affiliate connections. MORE ON GOOGLE SEARCH. More.
Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:
