Google is adding more information to its About This Result page, a feature that Google added in early 2021. The feature already provides you with context about the websites it's showing you, but now you'll also see how and why Google gives you specific search results.
Understanding How Google Got Your Search Results
Google announced the update to its About This Result page in a post on The Keyword, noting that the added information will "help you make sense of the information and figure out which result will be most useful."
When you search for something on Google, you might've noticed the three dots next to each search result. Clicking on this will lead to the About This Result page, which previously only showed you information about a specific website.
Google is now going to show you how it got your result, as well as how to improve your search results. When you navigate to the About This Result page, you'll see a new section, called Your search & this result. Here, Google will show you which keywords (and related keywords) triggered the result, as well as how your location might've influenced it.
As an example, Google showed a query: "how to cook fish in the oven." The About This Result page shows that the keywords "how," "cook," "fish," and "oven," as well as the related keywords "ingredients," "recipe," and "baked," made Google pull up the relevant page.
This will give you a little more insight into how Google works. And if you're still struggling to find what you're looking for, the About This Result page will even give you some search tips.
For example, Google might tell you to put quotes around keywords that you want to be included in your search results, or add a minus sign to remove specific words from your results.
Google is rolling out the update in the US only, but plans on expanding the feature to more locations in the coming months.
Google Gives Users More Insight About Their Results
Google's About This Result page is hidden within three little dots, making the feature a bit hard to find if you never knew about it in the first place.
Despite its inconspicuous location, it's still a handy feature that's worth checking out. The next time you're struggling to find a specific result, why not use it to find out how you can improve your search?