Google Search: About this result Information verification option now available
If you have used Google Search today, you may have noticed the three-dots menu next to each search engine result. This new "about this result" option is rolling out globally over the next couple of days to all users of Google Search.
Google announced the new feature in a new blog post on its official The Keyword blog. There, Google explains that the feature is designed to "help people evaluate information and understand where it's coming from".
A tap or click on the three dots menu next to a search result opens the new "About this result" overlay in the browser. The rest of the screen is grayed out to give full focus to the new display.
Information about the company, organization or individual is provided. It seems to come from open sources, including Wikipedia, for the most part. There may also be a link to the official website and there is a notification that the information is not an advertisement.
If no public information is available, e.g., if a site has no Wikipedia entry, Google reveals when it first indexed the site. In the example below, Google states that it indexed the site for the first time more than 10 years ago.
Google may also display other information when users scrolls. It may reveal whether the search result was personalized by Google "based on Google activity" from the browser, and highlight additional information about the search and the particular result.
This last bit of information is interesting. It reveals major search keywords, information about its topicality and relevancy.
Google displays four actions, remove result, privacy settings, how search works, and cached, at the bottom of the overlay. These lead to help or settings pages, or load a cached version of the selected article.
The feature is available on desktop and mobile operating systems. The very same icon is also placed next to sponsored results on Google Search. Google opens "My Ad Centre" in that case, which looks similar to the about this result feature on first glance.
There, users get options to report the ad, a link to their advertisement settings, and information about the advertiser. The information is basic, as it lists only the name and location, and whether Google has verified the advertisers identity.
Google is also launching a related option to find out more about authors. Called About this author, it is launching globally for search results in English.
Another change is introduced in the United States only at this time. It adds a new Perspectives on top stories feature to the results. The main goal with it is to "bring more voices into Search" according to Google. The new carousel appears below top stories and showcases "insights from a range of journalists, experts, and other relevant voices on the topic" according to Google. The feature will launch soon in the United States.
Now You: which search engine do you use predominantly?
I don’t use Google at all.
Search engines i call at this time :
In Search Bar :
—
SearxNG ( [search.sapti.me] and [searx.tiekoetter.com] ) is my default search engine
Brave
DuckDuckGo
eTools Metasearch
Mojeek
Qwant
With Smart Keywords :
—
Curlie Category Search (NEW here)
MetaGer
QuackQuackGo
Swisscows
Startpage
Wiby (NEW here)
I discovered ‘Curlie’ recently, it’s a directory search engine in fact :
“Curlie strives to be the largest human-edited directory of the Web. It is run by volunteer editors. Join today to add to our collection or create your own!” [https://curlie.org/]
‘Wiby’ recently discovered as well :
“Wiby is a search engine for older style pages, lightweight and based on a subject of interest. Building a web more reminiscent of the early internet.” [https://wiby.me/]
I very seldom use the engines called via smart keywords, but it’s interesting to see what they offer, their results.
My pet peeve – they recently took away the “results per page” setting, which could be set as high as 200. Now when you click “more results”, you get approx 8. Good luck if you want to skim through 1000 hits. It’s VERY frustrating.
Google Search is my default search engine and Chrome is my default browser and my location is US. Using Windows 11 I installed KB5023778 about 13:20 EDT 20230328 and all seemed well. After Shutdown last night and power on this m0rning, searching from the search icon in the taskbar used Bing to search results. After verifying many items, I avoid the problem by hiding the taskbar Search Icon, and search only from the address bar.
I used Google for almost an hour this morning searching for some cosmetics my girlfriend wants, but which vary considerably in price, but that popup in your screenshot never appeared Martin.
I decided a few days ago to reinstate DDG, but try as I might I can’t seem to reinstate it as search engine in Floorp (a Firefox fork) even after meticulously following instructions to do precisely that. That’s maybe because at the time I removed it along with Yahoo, You.com and the other search engines I wasn’t going to use.