Google has been spotted highlighting answers from a popular Q&A community for developers in search results. This may either be a new feature or simply a test in progress.
Multiple people have reported seeing this potential new feature, with its discovery initially highlighted by a discussion on Reddit. Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like:
There are two ways that answers from the Q&A community are being highlighted in search results. According to the screenshot, if a question only has one answer, it will receive its own dedicated answer box spanning the width of the search results page.
If a question has more than one answer, they are displayed in the form of a carousel with the most upvoted response highlighted as the “Best Answer.”
On one hand, this could negatively impact traffic to the Q&A community if searchers get the information they need in the answer boxes. On the other hand, it could encourage more click-throughs if searchers like what they see and want to read more.
I have not been able to replicate this feature using any of my daily devices (MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone X), which leads me to believe it is a limited test not accessible to everyone. Alternatively, it may only be available in US search results.
