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Google lets users see their related search history with new card

Google helps searchers remember what they saw on Google in their past searches and web site visits with a new search feature.

Barry Schwartz on January 9, 2019 at 1:00 pm

Google is now rolling out a new feature in search named “your related activity.” This feature lets signed in Google users pick up on previous searches they’ve done related to the query they just added. So if they searched for cooking tips, then got pulled away for something and then came back later and did a related search, Google may show you this related activity card.

What it does. Google will show you links to pages you’ve visited in the past through your search history. In addition, Google will show you the searches that led you to those pages. You can also mark a page to read or reference later. To do so, touch and hold the link to quickly add items on your activity card to a collection. Google said, “you can access your collections by tapping the menu on the top left of the Search page (on mobile web), or through the bottom bar of the Google app.”

What it looks like. Here are GIFs from Google of it in action:

How to use the activity card:

How to mark items as read or to be referenced later:

Where else can I see my Google history. Google has been adapting and changing their web history portal for years. You can access your history if you login and go to google.com/history.

When can I see the activity card? Google said it is rolling out today on the mobile web and the Google app in English in the U.S.

Why it matters. This may lead to more repeat visits to your web site from past Google searches. Google did not mention if they may use the “mark as read” or reference later features as ranking signals in core search. I doubt they would use such signals, as they can easily be manipulated.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.