Google tests expanded search option

Related links and additional information aim to improve online search

Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com 21 Apr 2006

Google is testing an enhanced search feature that presents users with additional result information.

Screenshots of the service appeared on the web earlier this week showing search results with an expansion button that presents longer excerpts from linked sites as well as links to related content and a 'search this site' option.

"We are currently testing new ways to refine searches such as the ones you see in these screen shots. There's no set schedule when we'll roll out these sorts of new ideas (if ever), but these tests help us improve the overall search experience," a Google spokesperson told vnunet.com.

The feature appeared at seemingly random moments with online searches, and appears to be related to the Orion technology that Google acquired earlier this month.

The Google spokesperson said she couldn't disclose if the technology was releated to Orion.

The Orion formula works by finding content related to a key word and showing the results including topics relevant to the search.

It was written by 26 year-old Ori Allon when he was a doctoral student at the University of New South Wales, and is named after him. Google has purchased the rights to the technology.

The added information could allow web users to better judge what a linked website offers, providing an improved way to find online content.

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