Confirmed: Google Testing New “Sources” Display In Search Results

Google has confirmed that it’s testing a new content module in its search results that’s (currently) called “Sources.”

The module appears to have been spotted first by Cyrus Shepard, who shared screenshots of the new display including this one from a search for pop singer Rihanna.

(You can click for a slightly larger version.)

As you can see, the right column is widened to allow several pieces of background info to show — things like biographical info from Wikipedia, her birthdate and other family information, plus links to songs and similar artists. A separate screenshot on a search for “twitter” shows things like Twitter’s street address, where the company was founded and even what programming language it uses.

A Google spokesperson tells Search Engine Land that this is a search experiment, and gave us the company’s standard “Google is constantly experimenting with new features” statement. That’s all the company shared with us; there’s nothing about how many users are seeing the experiment or when it might roll out more widely.

The data showing in the “Sources” content module seems to be similar to what appears in the Google Related toolbar that was launched this summer. And Google’s recent move to sometimes show ads at the bottom of search results opens up more space on the right for content like this.

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Matt McGee

Matt McGee joined Third Door Media as a writer/reporter/editor in September 2008. He served as Editor-In-Chief from January 2013 until his departure in July 2017. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee.