Google’s New iPhone App Feature: What It Means for Users and Website Owners?

Google’s iPhone app has rolled out a new feature that allows users to quickly search for more information about a term, phrase, or word they encounter on a webpage. This feature, aimed at providing additional context, is now also available in the Android version of the app. While it makes searching more convenient for users, it raises concerns for some website owners.

How Does the New Feature Work?

The feature, known as Page Annotation, automatically highlights certain words or phrases on a webpage. When users tap on a highlighted word, the relevant information is pulled up from Google’s Knowledge Graph, a vast collection of data sourced from public entities, websites, and more. This pop-up overlay displays the information without requiring users to leave the page they’re on.

Aishwarya from Google’s Search Support Team explained that this feature is designed to help users quickly gain more context about people, places, or things they encounter, without navigating away from the site. Once you’re done, you can swipe to close the app tray and return to the webpage you were viewing.

A Faster Way to Learn More

This new feature offers a faster way for users to explore topics in greater depth. Previously, users could select a term and search for it manually via Google’s search bar or use other features like ad intents, which inserted related links on the webpage. Page Annotation simplifies this process, making it quicker and easier for users to discover additional information without interrupting their browsing experience.

Potential Concerns for Website Owners

While this feature may be a welcome addition for users, it’s causing some concerns among website owners. The reason for this is that the feature could lead users away from the website and directly to Google’s search results. Once there, visitors might not return to the original page, potentially reducing website traffic and engagement.

However, the feature does allow users to easily return to the webpage they were on by closing the overlay. Still, for some site owners and publishers, this feels like a disruption to their site’s user experience. If this feature starts to impact user engagement negatively, it could affect the revenue models of many sites that rely on traffic.

Can Website Owners Opt Out?

For website owners who don’t want their content to be featured with Google’s Page Annotation, there is an option to opt-out. Google provides a form that can be submitted to disable the feature on specific websites. After submitting the form, it could take up to 30 days for the feature to be fully disabled.

Conclusion

Google’s Page Annotation feature is a handy tool for users looking to quickly gain context about words or phrases they encounter on webpages. While it can enhance the browsing experience for many, it presents challenges for website owners concerned about losing visitors to Google searches. As Google continues to innovate with new features, it’s clear that the balance between user convenience and website traffic will be an ongoing discussion in the tech community.