• The Next Web, Wednesday, October 6, 2010 11:40 AM

With millions of page views and ad dollars hanging in the balance, Google is testing a feature that lets users view search results without having to click through. "If you have the feature enabled, simply hover over the magnifying glass alongside a search result and you're given a quick preview," notes The Next Web. "Ingeniously, Google is also able to highlight sections of the page that include the text you've searched for." Plug-ins have facilitated this feature for years, but coming directly from Google, it's far more likely to achieve widespread adoption.

"To the user, this is valuable," writes The Next Web. "How site owners will feel when they notice big drops in click through rates is a different story." Virtually any change Google makes to its search engine has huge implications for countless publishers, advertisers, search monetization experts, and, or course, users. That, however, doesn't stop the search giant from continuing to experiment. Just last month, for example, Google debuted its Instant search feature, which dynamically refreshes search results (within the search box itself) as users enter search terms.

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