"Actively Discussed On Google+" Now Showing In Google Search Results

Google’s results are getting even more deeply intertwined with Google+. New links are now showing under results that show “Actively Discussed On Google+.” The link is expandable and brings in Google+ comments or posts when clicked.

The “Actively Discussed on Google+” displays much like a sitelink with a blue “Show” button that will expand the discussion without taking users off the results page:

When the show button is clicked we’ve spotted either comments or posts from Google+ displaying. Comments look quite similar to the Google+ execution and are nested as responses. To no-one’s suprise, a link at the bottom of the expanded unit allows users to go directly to Google+:

A few implementations spotted weren’t actual discussions, rather just Google+ posts. This example for instance pulls a Google+ post under the result with the Google+ post basically replicating the URL above. While it makes sense to tie in discussions, pulling in post without comments like this seems like a bad idea.

This implementation furthers the Google+ification of Google search, many times pushing Google+ over relevancy. The “Actively Discussed” links are in test mode currently, no official release has been announced.

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Google | Google: Google+

About The Author: Greg Finn is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cypress North, a company that specializes in social media and search marketing services and web-based application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 6+ years and specializes in Social Media Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn. See more articles by Greg Finn

Connect with the author via: Email

Other ways to share:

Read before commenting! We welcome constructive comments and allow any that meet our common sense criteria. This means being respectful and polite to others. It means providing helpful information that contributes to a story or discussion. It means leaving links only that substantially add further to a discussion. Comments using foul language, being disrespectful to others or otherwise violating what we believe are common sense standards of discussion will be deleted. Comments may also be removed if they are posted from anonymous accounts. You can read more about our comments policy here.

http://www.VideoLeadsOnline.com/ Ronnie Bincer

It is kind of silly to state that “Google+ is still a product without demand”… I guess you just can’t let go of that perspective and look at facts.
http://www.webpronews.com/for-a-ghost-town-google-sure-grew-a-lot-last-month-2012-07 The numbers may not be a ‘big’ as you think they should be, but the growth is undeniable. The quality of engagement for those ‘who get it’ is amazing and…

The data that Google gets does just what it needs to for the big G. But you can keep your head in the sand if you like (assuming you’re interested in Search, it is odd that you don’t embrace the future products offered to you by Google).
daveintheuk

I think you’ll find that “boost’ in unique page views is a result of moving their Local search results from Places to Google+ Local.
DeAno Jackson

I suppose it’s easier to make those assumptions when you’re not actually on the platform and seeing the increasing engagement and growth for yourself.