Google is rolling out a new feature in search results that may help people find more relevant content.
The quality of Google’s search results is a hotly debated topic, with many saying it’s getting worse.
Young internet users are even turning to unconventional alternatives, like TikTok, to find the information they need.
Is it possible that people find it challenging to discover relevant content in Google because they’re not entering the correct queries?
That’s a question that Google’s new search feature will answer.
Search Refinements In Google
Google is making it easy to instantly turn short search terms into more specific, long-tail keywords.
With the amount of content available on the web today, it can be difficult for Google to return what you’re looking for if you don’t provide enough details.
A query like “dinner ideas,” for example, will return a much more generic set of results compared to a query like “healthy dinner ideas for kids.”
Now, Google will suggest ways to narrow down your results by modifying the initial query.
Screenshot from: blog.google/products/search/refine-search-results/, December 2022.In the example above, suggestions appear underneath the search bar.
Tap on one or more of Google’s search refinements to adjust your query.
Topics are dynamic and will change as you tap, allowing you to explore new content selections.
In a blog post, Google explains how it chooses topics:
“When you conduct a search, our systems automatically display relevant topics for you based on what we understand about how people search and from analyzing content across the web.
Both topics and filters are shown in the order that our systems automatically determine is most helpful for your specific query. If you don’t see a particular filter you want, you can find more using the “All filters” option, which is available at the end of the row.”
Google previewed this feature at its annual Search On conference in September. It is now rolling out to English language queries in mobile search results in the US.
What Does This Change Mean For Publishers & Marketers?
Google’s search refinements can potentially increase search volume for detailed queries.
That means you may start seeing an increase in traffic and impressions for pages targeting long-tail keywords.
Longer keywords with low monthly search volume may become more attractive to go after, leading to more competition.
From now on, if you’re targeting long-tail queries, it will be helpful to monitor them in the following ways:
- SERPs: Monitor search results and watch for new competitors creeping up to take your positions.
- Keyword Planner: Monitor monthly search volume and see if there’s any significant change month to month.
- Analytics & Search Console: Watch for changes in traffic and impressions for pages targeting longer queries.
- On-page Content: Review the pages targeting long queries to ensure your content is up to date and ready to be discovered by new searchers.
Changes in traffic and rankings starting around December 5 may also result from the December 2022 helpful content update.
Source: Google
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