Google Announces 3 New Features in 2023! AI-Powered Search Engine

The new search engine features announced by Google are currently in the testing phase. We do not know yet the release date, thus we need to wait until they are available for regular users. From what we could see during the Google Keynote I/O’23, the new updates are AI-powered functionalities added to Search that are likely to cause a lot of excitement.

AI-Generated Response in Search. Just Like in Bing?

Google is currently testing a new feature that shows AI-generated topic summaries displayed above the regular search results. This section is highlighted, and its background color changes accordingly to the user’s search intent. Additionally, AI provides source links to the websites it pulls out the information from to formulate the response to a user’s query.

Just so you know, ads will still be shown at the top of search results.

Furthermore, Google is currently testing an additional feature that allows for exploiting a searched-for topic further by asking follow-up questions. For example, if you feel like diving into a particular subject deeper, you will be able to click on the “Ask a follow-up” button. This will activate a conversational mode and help you extract more relevant information from Google.

Expert Comment

The tested feature seems to be an advanced version of the current Position Zero that shows up in SERPs. I think there may be a drop in organic click-through rates. We shouldn’t forget though that generating extensive search results with AI requires Google to use up more resources. To me, doing so seems to be a necessary move for Google in order to maintain its competitive edge. There is one question though, namely, will this move turn out to be profitable for Google if ad traffic shifts toward AI-generated results?

Wojciech Urban

SEO R&D Specialist

You can read more about new Search updates on Google blog: Supercharging Search with generative AI

Google Is Going to Help Developers with Code Writing

Another feature that is currently tested by Google is AI-generated code snippets. This one is going to be shown up at the top of search results for programming-related queries. What will this new type of Featured Snipped look like in Search? Here’s an example:

Exporting Selected Search Results to Google Sheets

Third Search update, which is being tested like the other new features, concerns inserting selected search results into Google Sheets. This allows you to share the findings with others easily by just providing them with the document link.

If you’ve just taken an interest in the possibility to export selected search results to Sheets straight from the Search, be sure to check: Help us build the future of Search with Search Labs published on the official Google blog.

Interestingly, if you live in the USA, you may sign up for testing the latest updates to Search. You can apply here.

Summary: 3 New Updates to Google Search

Just as I thought, Google is making AI an integrated part of the search engine results page. Let me know in the comments what you think of the latest updates to Search. Which new features are you looking forward to test?

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