Google Search Tests Out New Label for Short Articles

Many users who are entering keywords into Google’s powerful search engine want to find short articles because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to digest all of the required information in the shortest amount of time possible. Google is well aware of that, which is why the search engine giant is experimenting with a new label that can earmark short reads for its users, spotted by Brodieclark.

This new label is called “Quick Read”, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that only some users have mentioned seeing it in their Google SERP. The purpose of this label is to indicate to users that an article can be read in under 5 minutes. Some users also noted different version of the label, including one such as “<5 Min Read”, so Google is clearly trying a few things out to see what sticks once all has been said and is now out of the way.

While there is no way of knowing whether or not this feature would be part of Google’s next update, if it gets rolled out we might see an even greater wave of short form content. Short form content is already taking the internet by storm, and the prospect of receiving a label that would draw user attention would sweeten the deal further with all things having been considered and taken into account.

We might start seeing a lot more short form content, and Google has been giving this type of content higher rankings on its SERP for quite some time now. One thing to note here is that this test has been conducted both for web users as well as mobile users which makes it more likely that the beta test would turn into a permanent feature.

It will be interesting to see how this feature changes the landscape of SEO, as well as the content industry in general. Google is a powerful force within the world of the internet, so this change could be quite influential.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World