Google never fails to surprise with regular algorithm changes and constant innovation. Gmail recently celebrated their 15th birthday, so we thought it opportune to take a closer look at what we can expect from the world’s largest search engine giant today and in the near future.
1. Shoppable Ads Coming to Google Image Search
We all recall Instagram’s recent announcement that it would allow users to buy products within the app. Users no longer need to navigate to a third-party ecommerce site. Two weeks before this announcement, engadget, reported that Google is rolling out shoppable sponsored ads within image search results.
“A recent study shows that Google is the first place US shoppers go to discover or find a new brand or product,” Google wrote in an official statement.
Source: Google
The ads would use an image-centric format and feature products available for purchase. They would appear alongside content results and unlike other image search results they would display sale details like price and manufacturer.
“We’ve seen that 50 percent of online shoppers said images of the product inspired them to purchase, and increasingly, they’re turning to Google Images.”
2. AMP for Email on Gmail
Google has officially launched AMP for Email. This release is set to transform emails from text-based documents to richer experiences where people can accomplish more, without navigating away from their inboxes.
These to-do items include “being able to submit RSVPs to events, fill out questionnaires, browse catalogs, or respond to comments right within the email,” writes Google – all with the power of AMP, which is the company’s technology that allows web pages to load nearly instantaneously, without losing any aesthetic or design qualities, or functionality. We think that AMP is pretty cool and look forward to using it to ramp up Gmail’s features and functionality!
3. Google Podcasts allows Search Episode Content via Text Queries
Google Podcasts is a podcast discoverability and listening platform for Android users. This innovation will auto-transcribe episodes to allow listeners search for quotes and other content using text.
According to Android Police, the Google Podcasts service is using these transcripts as metadata to help users discover new shows using written search queries, and to help them find episodes for which they might not know the air date or title.
4. Google’s Dedicated Hotel Search Site
Google already has dedicated search sites for many other travel-related items such as maps and flights. So, it’s not surprising that they have now launched a dedicated search engine for hotels. This new hotel search site features a range of filtering options, ranging from guest ratings and budget to amenities like pools, spas and gyms.
The visual appearance bears an uncanny resemblance to that of Airbnb — leading some to wonder if vacation rentals will soon be added to Google’s portfolio of travel planning tools. Interestingly Airbnb, received more U.S. consumer spending than legacy hotel brand Hilton did last year.
At Creative Imagineering we keep our customers ahead of the digital curve by sharing these types of innovations that impact on their marketing plans. If you enjoyed this article why not view a similar article here on Trends for 2019.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE APPEARED HERE: https://blog.hubspot.com/