Google is rolling out a more personalized search experience that aims to show searchers more information about what they're interested in right in the search results.
Veronica Barberena
Veronica Barberena
November 29, 2023 — 3 minutes reading time
Google launches a new personal search experience
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
This is done with several new search features, effective exit mobile numbers list including a new “Follow” button, personalized search results, insights results updates, creator snippets, and more.
“Follow” button in Google Search
Google is rolling out a new “Follow” button in Google Search that aims to keep you updated on topics you want to keep searching for. The follow button allows users to subscribe to topics where Google can show them content on that topic.
When you perform a search, you will see a “Follow” button, you can click this button to subscribe. Google will then tell you if you are following that topic and you can look for updates in your home feed.
This is what the follow button looks like:
Google will also enable notifications, if you are using the Google app, to send you new content on that topic.
You can always unfollow and unsubscribe.
Please note that this feature does not work for "sensitive" themes.
It will first roll out in US English search results within the Google app and in mobile search results in the coming weeks.
Google may add a section called “News for you” that will show news topics and new content on the topic you followed. This includes an update to how the insights feature works in that section.
This is what it will look like:
Google may also tailor search snippets to show specific content in search results based on what you follow.
Google Discover can also send you notifications when there's new content on that topic. In Google Discover, you might see search buttons to click on for topics you've subscribed to, so you can dig deeper into Google Search on that topic. We've seen Google test this with "get the latest" and other search buttons.
This is what it looks like:
Search results for your favorite sites
Google is launching a new ranking feature that analyzes which sites you visit frequently and shows them more often in search results.
So, if you visit this site frequently, Google may decide to rank the content on this site over other sites writing about the same topic, specifically for you. While someone else may see different results ranked in a different order.
It is not necessary to “follow” a topic or query for this feature to work, this is a separate feature from the one mentioned above.
Google said it would let you know how long your search history is retained for this level of personalization. There's no way to turn off this feature without turning off all personalization or signing out of Google Search when you perform your search.
Here is the screen to unfollow topics:
Google may add a "frequently visited" label to search results tailored for you.
Google will also show in the "about this result" feature if that result ranks higher because you visit the site more frequently.
Perspectives from others on Google Search
Google is also updating the Insights feature to help you learn from others in search results, the company said. When you tap the insights filter within Google Search, you can now see content from social media platforms, discussion forums, blog posts and other communities.