Searching for COVID-19 News – Search Results Improvements from Google
There simply never had been a situation where the whole world would seek answers in one topic for so long. Then, the coronavirus epidemic came to play. It became a number one topic around the globe – that’s why Google decided to implement a few changes in its search engine to help us all look for reliable and up-to-date information about COVID-19.
Coronavirus, often referred to as COVID-19, is from 2 months straight to the hottest topic among people all around the world. It’s a truly unprecedented situation – up until now, there wasn’t a case of a couple of keywords winning worldwide Google search results for so long. Just look at the Google Trends graph that shows the interest with coronavirus related keywords:
COVID 19 phrase trend worldwide:
To make it easier for users worldwide to get reliable information about the global epidemic, Google, in an express mode, implemented a couple of improvements in their search engine.
Coronavirus News
1. Direct Answers:
Direct answering in search results is something we already have known for a while. We wrote about them in a separate entry: On-SERP SEO. The future of Google Search Without Clicking.
After entering the phrase “coronavirus” in the search engine we receive, directly in the search results, a map with all case locations, a numerical summary, and a quick menu which leads to the most frequently searched information.
Quick answers about coronavirus definitely match users’ search intent.
2. Local News
Along with the well-known news section, Google now offers a section with local news from a particular region.
Last month, we made a change to help local content surface better within our Top Stories box. In addition, we added a new “Local news” box to show local news content in response to coronavirus-related searches: pic.twitter.com/5gdZ368UdZ
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 4, 2020
News is matched to location based on the content, even if they’re published from another place. Often, they are related to official resources shared by the government of a specific country.
3. No AMP Requirements
For news related to COVID-19, there’s no need to implement the AMP version in order to get to the Top Stories section. For other topics, the AMP is still required.
Beyond local news, we also made a change where both AMP and non-AMP stories will appear in Top Stories for searches that are coronavirus-related. AMP remains necessary to be considered for other topics: https://t.co/B40lKQmcmk
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 4, 2020
4. News Organizations Support
Small, Medium and local organizations that provide information regarding coronavirus can apply for special funding for their activities. You’ll find more about the fundings on a Google Blog. The initiative’s aim is to ensure better information flow about the epidemic danger, also among the smaller communities.
As a reminder, we recently launched the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund to help local newsrooms in a time of need. The program will deliver financial support to small & medium-sized news organizations around the world.https://t.co/dYVlztTSc7
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 4, 2020
What do you think about Google’s approach? Let us know in the comments!
