Google is today unveiling a new feature enabling users to customise their search results by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on web search results.
The new feature is designed to give Australians greater control over the results they see on the search engine. Users can see the changes they make whenever they do the same searches while signed in to their Google Account, or until they decide to undo them. The changes they make only affect their search results.
There will also be a public page where users can also view how the community has edited rankings (in aggregate). There, users can also see comments that have been made on a set of results.
How to use it:
Click the up arrow to move it to the top of the page, and this result will appear at the top whenever users do the same search in the future. We’ll add a green arrow marker pointing up next to it so they can recognise it later.
Don’t like a result?
Click the X to remove a result, and it’ll remain hidden whenever a search is done in the future.
Know of a better webpage?
At the bottom of any search results page, click “Add a result” to add a page that you consider relevant to that search. The page you suggested will appear at the top with the green arrow marker.
Want to comment on a result?
Click the speech-bubble icon to open a text box and type your comment. User will see it the next time this result returns for any of their searches. Comments are a great way to save and recall any thoughts users had or notes they took about a particular webpage. And comments are public, so users can share with the community and see what others thought about the same results.
“We’ve always said that the best search engine is the one that understands what the individual user wants,” said Rohit Dhawan, Head of Products at Google Australia and New Zealand. “SearchWiki really puts that in action: this is an even deeper level of customisation than we’ve offered before, because people know best what search results they’re looking for.
“Search engines are central in helping Australians find information online. This tool helps Australians tailor their results and find the information that’s most useful.”
To try SearchWiki, simply do a normal Google search while logged in with a Google Account. To create a new Google Account, click ‘Sign in’ on the Google homepage and follow the instructions to set one up.
