Early in the 2016 US Presidential race, Google rolled out a feature enabling candidates to publish messages directly on the front page of search results. By March 2016, Google had begun testing this feature with a limited number of small businesses.
Now, Google has confirmed that the test is expanding from “tens” of small businesses to “thousands.” Additionally, the test is extending beyond the US to include Brazil and India. This confirmation came from the Google My Business team during a Google Hangout session.
This yet-to-be-named feature allows small businesses to create cards with short messages that appear in search results, similar to how Google presents AMP carousels. When a business’s name is searched, the most recent messages from that business will show up on the front page of search results.
These messages or cards—which can include text, links, pictures, and videos—are hosted on a Google server but can be shared or linked to by others. Currently, the posting of content is facilitated by a dedicated app accessible only to select businesses.
Further evidence of this testing phase is expected to be seen over the next 30 days.
