Google’s continuous transformation of Search and Discover with new features underscores its dedication to adapting to changing consumer needs, interests, and trends.
By enhancing its search results with a personalized feed, social posts, discussions, stories, and generative AI, Google is creating new opportunities for marketers and advertisers to reach their target audiences.
This article will delve into Google’s increasing integration of engaging social and conversational features into Search and the Discover feed.
Mobile Users Want More Social Features
Why is Google integrating social media features into its search results?
We know Google maintains its status as the most widely used search engine globally. Among the top search engines, it also boasts the most engaged users.
More than half (59%) of Google.com visitors were utilizing mobile devices. This isn’t surprising, given the increasing number of people accessing the internet via mobile phones, connected televisions, and smart home devices.
In terms of the types of apps and websites people visit, social networks tend to outrank search engines. Comparing Google search engagement data to top social media platforms reveals that social networks retain users’ attention for longer. Social networks also offer more ad formats for advertisers to leverage for brand marketing.
In addition to the growing demand for social features, there is a rising interest in AI-powered search, as per a survey of 2,205 adults in the United States.
Google has already expressed plans to experiment with ads in its Search Generative Experience (SGE), a feature that Bing has already incorporated into its AI copilot for search.
It’s not surprising that Google is adding or experimenting with more social and generative AI features for search, easing users’ access to more sources for research and making purchasing decisions. This shift also simplifies Google’s ability to capture user engagement information for first-party advertising data once third-party cookies are phased out.
Highlighted below are some examples of the latest features in Google Search and Discover. Some features are only available in certain locations and for mobile users with an Android smartphone or the Google app for iOS.
A Personalized Google Discover Feed
Upon opening the Google app, you’ll see your personalized Google Discover feed beneath the search bar. It mirrors many features found on other social newsfeeds, such as recent headlines, videos, trending topics, and information about topics users follow. While exploring this feed, users might encounter ads from Discovery campaigns, which will soon transition to Demand Gen for Google advertisers.
Web Stories With Ads
Unlike social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok that place stories at the top of the newsfeed, Google incorporates web stories throughout the Discover feed. Google’s version of stories will continue to autoplay new, related stories, similar to platforms like Instagram, prolonging users’ engagement within the Google app and displaying more ads.
Shopping Results In The Discover Feed
Even though most of the products showcased might not be part of an ad campaign, the listings demonstrate Google’s potential to insert shopping ads within the Discover feed. It even extracts products mentioned in articles directly into the Discover feed.
Social Media Videos & YouTube Shorts
YouTube videos and Shorts appear in the Discover feed. Those that autoplay within the feed offer opportunities for pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, and non-skippable ad formats. Videos from other sites and social networks like Facebook and TikTok also appear, but do not autoplay.
Notes With AI-Generated Images In SERPs
Alongside SGE, mobile users on Android or those using the Google iOS app with Search Labs access can try Notes, an experimental feature enabling comments on SERPs. Similar to blog comments or third-party reviews, Notes might include commentary from promoters, detractors, and those seeking visibility on popular pages. Brands lack the option to disable Notes, necessitating monitoring for reputation management.
For now, users with this feature can add stickers, gifs, and AI-generated images with Google AI to Notes.
To find Notes in SERPs for your site, search using the format: site:your-domain.com keyword.
Google Profiles With Social Links
Creating a Note will visibly connect it to your Google profile. You can edit your profile to add links to other social platforms and receive notifications when your note accumulates views.
Likes, Saves, And Shares
Mobile users of Google Search can like, save, and share search findings in the Discover feed, including news, ads, stories, and Shorts. Anything liked, saved, or followed will be stored in your Google account.
This collection of saved items also includes links to articles, images, recipes, web stories, YouTube, pinned places on Maps, and Notes. New collections and links can be added to your account on both desktop and mobile.
Social Signals and Feedback
Engagement actions such as likes, saves, shares, and Notes might evolve into social signals for Discover feed ranking. These signals might align with how top social networks use engagement metrics within user newsfeed algorithms. They open new avenues for marketers to track search results engagement if included in Google Analytics or Search Console metrics.
Users can follow specific searches, with recent follows appearing prominently in the Discover feed.
Google asks users to provide feedback on the Discover feed contents to enhance user experience. This feedback might influence visibility in the feed, enhancing user satisfaction.
Conclusion
Google’s integration of search, social posts, shopping, video content, local results, AI, and ads necessitates that marketers adopt omnichannel strategies, optimizing content for mobile-first users, and engaging actively on social media. Continuously monitoring evolving trends and integrating them into digital strategies is crucial for reaching and engaging target audiences effectively.
