Google’s top stories carousel in search results may display multiple results for the same story, adding a second link for context.
This was first discovered by Valentin Pletzer who shared a couple of screenshots on Twitter:
new feature within the top stories carousel "for context"
a second link to the same source (here Forbes and cnet)#google #mobile #serp #news pic.twitter.com/B7KDKSmChz
— Valentin Pletzer (@VorticonCmdr) July 28, 2020
The additional “for context” link goes to the same source, Pletzer confirms, allowing publishers to claim two slots within the same top stories carousel result.
This change to search results has the potential to keep older stories fresh for longer periods of time.
Articles that would have otherwise fallen out of the top stories carousel may now appear as an additional “for context” link.
This is a reward of sorts for publishers who provide in-depth coverage of particular stories and keep their readers informed about new developments.
For users this has the benefit of getting a big picture understanding of news stories without having to conduct multiple searches.
Related: AMP No Longer Required For Top Stories
Google Confirms This is a New Feature
This feature appears to limited at the moment. I have personally not been able to replicate it regardless what types of news stories I search for.
However, the addition of “for context” links is a real feature which is here to stay.
The Verge received confirmation from Google regarding the launch of this feature – a spokesperson provided the following statement:
“Where we detect that a publisher has this kind of background content for a timely news story, we will add it.”
Based on that information, it would seem there’s no specific way for publishers to trigger an additional “for context” link in the top stories carousel.
Of course, placing internal links to related stories will help make Google aware that background content is available.
From there it’s up to Google whether the background content will get added as a second link for context.
Source: The Verge
