Google has started using snippets of editorial content in a new “Buying Guide” feature in mobile search results to help buyers find out more about products as they navigate through the sales cycle.
When entering a product-based query into Google, a new guide with a drop-down menu option offering more information about the product is now showing for certain users.
Google says it is part of a new experiment to help shoppers get “relevant characteristics” about the things they want to buy with “price, brand and type” among the attributes listed.
This new mobile SERPs feature is a great opportunity for marketers to get product-related content ranked in search results.
However, Google has not stated how it surfaces the content that is presented in the drop-down menu.
But it is likely to be linked to search intent and matching paragraphs from articles and product pages with a user’s query.
The Buying Guide is limited to mobile search results for now and features a number of different clickable menus based on the attributes of a product, which could include things like size, length and weight.
Other menu types answer more specific questions that a searcher might be interested in knowing.
Creating SEO content that can answer common questions a prospective customer or client may have about a product could boost visibility and help brands to rank for this feature in search.
The new guides are just part of a test for now though, and it is not known whether there will be an official rollout in the future.
Google added in a statement: “We’re always testing new ways to improve the shopping experience for our users but don’t have anything specific to announce right now.”
