Google’s Video Search Results Might Get Picture in Picture Mode

The primary focus of Google over the past few years has been to make it so that its users don’t have to navigate away from its search engine results page. Such changes have come under fire for being unfair and antithetical to trust laws, but in spite of the fact that this is the case Google has soldiered on by providing one justification after another. The latest in a long line of updates that seemingly attempt to make Google seem like the sole provider of information online has to do with its video search results.

Some users recently took to Twitter to show tests that they had seen for a picture in picture mode in Google’s search results that include video content. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this would allow users to play the video in the SERP itself, allowing them to continue scrolling through the search results whilst watching the video at the same time.

Hovering over the video preview and clicking on the image will open the video in picture in picture mode in the bottom right corner of the screen. Content creators might baulk at this because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up driving viewers away from their videos and making it harder for them to calculate their performance metrics than might have been the case otherwise.

🆕 Google new test - "Preview in Picture" on desktop serp

↗️ you can see video in tiny window.

📹 here is video for ref -

cc - @rustybrick #SEO pic.twitter.com/iHr11Mg2Sc

— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) November 15, 2022

It remains to be seen if views in picture in picture mode will count towards the performance metrics for content creators. Even if it does, the lack of engagement with users such as liking and commenting might be harmful. Websites that feature videos may also be irked that Google is further restricting users from getting to their web pages.

Not all that many users have reported seeing this, so it may just be a random test that will fade away instead of becoming a permanent feature. We will have to wait to see how this pans out, and if it does the impacts could be extremely widespread.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World