The evolution in the way people consume news and related content has gotten a lot of attention over the last year. Now, that evolution is continuing with the advent of Google Discover.
Google Discover is poised to replace traditional Google News feeds. It may be a gradual process, but it’s accelerating – and marketers need to understand what it all really means.
The concept of Google Discover may seem counter-intuitive at first. Before we can explain it, let’s look at the three pillars Google say have informed the design:
- The shift from answers (such as responses uncovered in traditional search) to journeys.
- The shift from queries (today’s conventional search keywords and phrases) to query-less.
- The shift from plain text as the main medium of information to visually-inspiring content.
Google has proved prescient when it comes to long-term trends, and it’s vital that marketers start to prepare for what the next 20 years of search may look like.
And that’s where Google Discover comes in.
What’s Different About Google Discover?
The basic concept of Google Discover is that you should get what you want …
Even when you don’t know what that is.
To implement such a change in the rhythm of how information is sought and retrieved, Google Discover makes a number of bold new design choices. These will fundamentally alter both the experience and the results of working with feeds from Google.
The key adjustments include:
Topic Headers Instead of Queries
Instead of getting connected content based on specific search queries, users will now be able to look through topic headers that allow them to gently browse a number of related content pieces. By rating and prioritizing different buckets, they teach Google what matters to them.
A Focus on Evergreen Content
Instead of focusing on news cycles like previous Google feeds, Discover will emphasize content that’s broadly useful to interested users. Google will piece together a picture of your expertise level on each topic as you go, so you’ll always get content targeted to your skills.
A Totally Fresh Homepage
Many of these changes center on driving personalization, and the new mobile homepage is the centerpiece of that effort. The homepage aims to drive users away from Safari and other competitors by offering an easier and more intuitive branded experience.
What’s the big picture? Google is looking for ways to get users to spend more time in search. That means embracing popular concepts from Instagram and other visual networks. Users can consume content more passively and advertisers get new targeting tools.
How users respond to all this remains to be seen. Will the future of search be a bright one? Keep an eye on Google Discover and find out.