Google is set to add a news feed to its mobile app and website in order to present users with content that may interest them before they navigate elsewhere. The feed, which is similar in style to Facebook, will show videos, news stories, music and other resources curated through a user’s search history.
Google has been testing a simple news feed for several months now, and it is ready to roll out a fully featured feed to smartphones apps in the US. The tech giant also revealed that the new content hub will be added to the Google.com website in the near future.
Analysts claim that the move is designed to make Google more relevant for accessing content, as mobile and Internet users now have so many other ways of finding the unique news and engaging articles that they crave. For example, Facebook has been overhauling its news feed regularly to serve up the most meaningful content.
Google’s new feed appears to be good news for creatives, as the tech giant revealed in a blog post that stories from a variety of publishers will be prominent to combat against the “filter bubble” trend that prevents users from seeing opposing views about particular subjects and topics. Users will also be able to “follow” topics by clicking on a button in search results.
“To provide information from diverse perspectives, news stories may have multiple viewpoints from a variety of sources as well as other related information and articles,” Google VP of Engineering Shashi Thakur said. “And when available, you’ll be able to fact check and see other relevant information to help get a more holistic understanding about the topics in your feed.”
Google did not reveal whether it plans to introduce sponsored posts or advertisements for the news feed, but Senior Research Analyst at Enders Analysis, Mattia Littunen, suggested that the latest update is mainly focused on end-user experience and a desire to drive people to Google’s other digital services. He added: “Google has a long-term project of anticipating user needs. It’s a move to make sure people aren’t going elsewhere for information.”
