Google Alters Search Rankings To Prioritize First-Hand Knowledge

“Search has always been about connecting human curiosity with the incredible expanse of human wisdom on the web,” said Cathy Edwards, Vice President of Search at Google, in today’s announcement. This could mean search results featuring fewer repetitive, second-hand sources and more unique personal perspectives relevant to users’ queries. Google is enabling a new way for users to “follow” specific topics right from Search results, like a favorite sports team or cooking style. In the example screenshots below, you can see what a mobile search results page looks like before and after following the topic “fashion trends.”This feature builds on personalization features like showing recent searches and activity from Google accounts in search results. Google’s plan to make frequently visited sites easier to re-find raises questions about what metrics will be used to promote sites.