Google’s world of snippets

29 January 2016

For a long time now, Google’s Results have contained more than just indexed websites. Results have grown to include rich snippets, authorship (although since deprecated), local maps listings amongst other things. Often, snippets are displayed when searching for facts and figures or for events, movie times and restaurants, bars and clubs.

In a lot of instances, Google also provides readily accessible statistics and facts from sources such as Wikipedia. Webmasters also have the power to provide Google insight into the structure of their webpage so that Google can provide rich snippets next to their website listing in search.

For example, if you google “How long is the Golden Gate Bridge”, Google will display the exact statistic above any search results – 2,737 metres (or 1.7 miles for our US friends). Google also performs basic mathematic calculations such as converting metres into miles and provides the answer ahead of search results.

This makes a lot of sense when you think about it. No page on the internet is realistically going to have relevant and important results for a basic mathematic conversion, essentially we just want the answer!

Smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s range of Galaxy phones also provide similar functionality through their voice recognition applications. S Voice for instance can answer the same question, although it uses the closed source Wolfram|Alpha Knowledge Base.

One final feature of Google’s clever little bank of knowledge is their ability to provide your IP Address. For whatever reason you may need it, just Google “What is my IP” and it will display.

The Champagne Strategy Podcast – Episode 12 – Keaton Hulme Jones

3131 Views
Programmatic, display, pre-roll, containers, banner ads, skyscrapers, home page takeovers, leaderboards, Mrecs, what the hell does it all mean. In the digital world, if you’re not advertising on search, social,…

The Champagne Strategy Podcast – Episode 15 – Andrew Roper

2749 Views
You will never find real entrepreneurs doing laps of the motivational speaking circuits and flogging a bunch of online courses to the masses on social media. They are very busy…

The Champagne Strategy Podcast – Episode 13 – Jon Manning

4438 Views
Pricing is one of the 4 P's of marketing. Before the bean-counters and financial analysts took over this domain, pricing sat firmly in the remit of the marketing department. Then…