In this day and age, Google is one of the largest tech giants on the planet with resources invested into pretty much every branch of the industry. However, back in the 90s, the Mountain View-based Internet firm started as a small company with a single product – Google Search. Approximately two decades later, the said search engine is the main reason why an average consumer deems the Google brand synonymous with the Internet. Google Search is still the company’s flagship product, and as such, it’s constantly being reworked, redesigned, and improved in order to stay at the top of its game and retain the title of the most popular Internet search engine on the planet.
Six months ago, Google Search debuted Rich Cards, a convenient method of highlighting specific information about queries from a number of different categories. The idea was to present users with a neatly organized information set accompanied by a relevant thumbnail at the top of Google Search results. Of course, provided that Google’s algorithms were absolutely confident they know what you’re looking for. Given the highly complex nature of that endeavor, Rich Cards were initially only limited to English topics related to recipes and movies. However, as revealed by Stacie Chan, Global Product Partnerships official at Google, Rich Cards support is now being extended to more categories.
More specifically, Rich Cards previews now also support local restaurants and online courses in the United States. Once users search for topics related to those two categories, Google Search will present them with a new, carousel-like user interface that can be browsed by scrolling left or right. Alternatively, when you search for a more specific query, results will be displayed in the form of a vertical three-pack, also located at the very top of Google Search results. This support has already been extended to recommendation sites such as TripAdvisor, Eater, and Thrillist, as well as educational sites like Open University, FutureLearn, and LinkedIn learning. Naturally, owners of websites related to restaurants and online courses can also take advantage of this support by making their sites Rich Cards-ready. The gallery below showcases the new Rich Cards in action.
