Google has confirmed that it is conducting a test which involves displaying zero search results for queries when no relevant results are found.
Instead, Google displays a message that states, “Hmm… the results for your search don’t seem very relevant.” This message is followed by a prompt allowing users to “see results anyway.”
Multiple users have reported encountering this anomaly in the past 24 hours. It wasn’t until SEMRush tweeted about it that Google provided a response.
The tweet highlighted the unusual way Google indicates that search results may be irrelevant and questioned if anyone else had seen this format before. The tweet also noted that while there is still an ad result on the search engine results page (SERP), no organic results appear.
In response, Google’s Danny Sullivan confirmed that this is a limited experiment, which is currently “overtriggering.” Sullivan also mentioned it wasn’t Google’s intention for ads to be displayed on that screen.
“This is a narrow experiment focused on times when our systems detect there is little relevant content available on the web for the given query. It appears to be overtriggering. We will investigate and adjust, including ensuring ads don’t show by default. That wasn’t intended,” Sullivan stated.
It would be interesting to see a running list of queries that trigger this experiment. Reflecting on personal search experiences, it is rare to not find at least one relevant result.
If you encounter this experiment, it might be a good opportunity to create relevant content for queries where there currently is none.
