Google on Tuesday released features for the
Search Generative Experience, including browsing, overlays with definitions, the use of color coding with syntax, and other coding improvements for users looking for SGE answers.
SGE while
browsing aims to help those searching for information get to the core of what they need more quickly. It also should remind search engine optimization (SEO) professionals to organize the information
on the website in a way that makes it easy to find.
The feature -- SGE while browsing -- is available in the Google app on Android and iOS, and will soon roll out on Chrome for
desktop. It was designed to help users more fully engage with long-form content from publishers and creators, and make it easier to find what they are looking for while browsing the web.
“On some web pages you visit, you can tap to see an AI-generated list of the key points an article covers, with links that will take you straight to what you’re looking for directly on
the page,” Rany Ng, vice president product management, Search at Google, explains in a post.
Users also can dig deeper with “Explore on page,” where the user will see
questions the article answers and jump to relevant sections to learn more. Those opted-in to SGE have automatic access to this experiment.
One thing to note for publishers: SGE while
browsing does not provide key points on articles marketed behind a paywall.
Publishers remain in control of this content and can learn in the Help Center how to designate the content. It’s important to note that the key
points in this feature in search are generated based on the latest indexed version.
Google also plans to roll out improvements to AI-generated responses for various topics or questions related
to STEM, economics, history and more. The update will allow users to hover over certain words to preview definitions and see related diagrams or images on the topic.
SGE also will now show
coding with color syntax in code examples generated. “Segments of code in overviews will now be color-coded with syntax highlighting, so it’s faster and easier to identify elements like
keywords, comments and strings, helping you better digest the code you see at a glance,” according to Ng.