Google Search rolls out new search refinements for top bar filters with related topics

As previewed at the Search On event, now these new related topics options can show in the top far filter options.

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Google is now rolling out the new search refinement-related topics feature in the top bar filters under the Google Search bar. Google previewed these search refinements at the Search On event a few months back and even saw Google testing it before that, and now they are rolling out.

What do these refinements look like. Here is a GIF of these refinements in action. In short, Google displays this scroll list of related topics alongside these filters at the top of the search results page. The list should contain useful topics related to the query to help you refine your search.

Topic refinements that you can add to your query have a + symbol in front of them.

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Google’s example above is if you’re searching for “dinner ideas,” you might see topics like “healthy” or “easy.” Tapping on a topic adds that refinement to your query, helping you quickly refine your search results with less typing.

The topics Google adds here are dynamic and will change as you tap, giving you more options and helping you explore new areas.

How dynamic topics work. Google said Google’s “systems automatically display relevant topics for you based on what we understand about how people search and from analyzing content across the web.” Google added that both the topics and the filters are shown in the order that “our systems automatically determine is most helpful for your specific query.”

Rolling out now. Google said this is now rolling out over the coming days to searchers in English in the U.S. on the Google app on iOS and Android and the mobile web.

Why we care. These search refinements might lead to more or less traffic to your site, depending on if these refinements lead to or distract from queries your site ranks for. Keep an eye on your top-performing queries to see if these dynamic topic refinements have rolled out for those queries.


About the author

Barry Schwartz
Staff
Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.

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