Algorithms already made Google a successful search engine, and now it's a turn for the company's Image Search to deliver a smarter experience. The visual search has been upgraded with badges that help you find exact results.
Badges are designed for Google Image Search on mobile devices and are available for visuals related to recipes, videos, products and animated GIF images. "To help users find exactly what they want, Image Search on mobile devices now includes relevant badges on thumbnails," Google Image Search team member AssafBroitman writes in a blog post.
Google has upgraded the algorithms powering its Image Search to show relevant badges on the basis of structured data of the indexed web pages. The badges include overlayed text on images you receive in search results that clarify the action.
For instance, if you search a dish in Image Search, you'll be shown images with a recipe badge. Once you tapped a badged image from the results, you'll be provided with the recipe of the dish. Similar is the case of products and videos.
Helps deliver targeted web traffic
In addition to delivering relevant results to end users, the newest addition to Image Search helps webmasters receive better targeted traffic to their sites. Google has already provided the Structured Data Testing Tool that can be used to verify the eligibility for the new badges after using appropriate structured data.
"While we can't guarantee that badges will always be shown, adding the recommended structured data fields in addition to the required fields may increase the chances of adding a badge to your image search results," the company says in a note to webmasters.
Augmented results to take on Pinterest
Google has interestingly brought the new upgrade to Image Search just after Pinterest enhanced the visual search feature on its platform. Search wasn't originally the field of the San Francisco, Calif.-based company that is popular for letting netizens pin their images on different boards. However, it finally set to compete against Google with by enabling its users to search for relevant content such as recipes, crafts and trips among others.
It overall seems to be a race of delivering augmented visual results to the users on the Web. Developments like Google Lens, which was launched at I/O earlier this year, are likely to increase this new field over time.
But in the meantime, you can enjoy learning new things or buying new products through the upgraded Image Search on your Android devices. The tweaks are also designed for mobile web and would reach iOS-powered iPhone and iPad in the coming future.
