Google is testing a change to search results for journalists which includes a carousel of their latest articles.
The new beta feature in Google Search is designed to help people learn more about an individual journalist or author by highlighting their recent work.
“Individual voices play an important role in the news and information we consume. With so many complex, important stories unfolding daily, people not only rely on specific publishers for the latest news, but also increasingly turn to trusted individual journalists, authors and experts.”
These article carousels are an expansion of the knowledge panels that were already in place for journalists.
When searching for a journalist by name, Google returns a box of information about them at the top of the screen. It’s similar to what Google would show for any other public figure.
Now, links to recent articles will appear in searches for a “small subset” of journalists.
Users can swipe through the articles as though they were browsing the Top Stories carousel in searches for timely news stories.
This will help searchers get a better idea of what types of stories the journalist covers, and get a feel for what their writing style is like.
When consuming news it’s important to not only be mindful of who the publisher is and what they stand for, but also to get acquainted with the person behind the byline.
If you’re reading a news article that has a controversial take on a current event, you can search for the author in Google and see how they report on other stories.
Through this research you may find that the particular journalist tends to aim for shock value over objective reporting. From there you can make an educated decision on whether to read their coverage again in the future.
On the other hand, there may be a journalist whose coverage you admire, and this feature can help you find more of their articles to enjoy.
How to Optimize For The Articles Carousel
Google requires assistance from publishers in order to populate these new carousels with an author’s recent work.
Publishers and content creators can help make their content more accessible and enhance their appearance in Google Search results by adding structured metadata to their article pages.
At the bare minimum, structured data must include the journalist or author’s name, and bio pages for their journalists describing their expertise.
Availability
To start, this new feature is only available for a limited number of US English-language journalists and can be accessed on mobile devices.
Google is looking to expand the feature over time to more journalists, devices and languages. To ensure the best experience, Google will be testing out different ways of organizing the content.
Anyone can submit feedback by clicking the “Feedback” button in the bottom right corner of the articles carousel.
Google says it’s actively looking for ways to improve the new article carousel, and using the Feedback button is the best way to get your ideas heard.
“We look forward to receiving feedback so we can improve and expand the feature over time. Ultimately we want to provide readers with a way to quickly and easily learn more about the people reporting on the issues affecting their lives.”
Source: Google
