Google Search results could actually be useful again starting today

Google has announced that it is implementing two big changes to its search engine. With its “Discussions and forums” and new default translation features, the company hopes to improve search result quality.

In a blog post released today, Google says that it is implementing a new feature to Google Search called Discussions and forums. Depending on what you search for, this new feature will populate content from popular forums and discussions around the web that are relevant to your inquiry.

It seems the company realizes that some searches work better with results that provide information like personal advice, reviews, opinions, and more. The tech giant states:

Forums can be a useful place to find first-hand advice, and to learn from people who have experience with something you’re interested in. We’ve heard from you that you want to see more of this content in Search, so we’ve been exploring new ways to make it easier to find.

What this means is that you won’t have to type in Reddit or some other forum with your search results anymore, Google will just find relevant discussions and present them to you.

One example Google provides is if you were to search for “the best cars for a growing family.” When you hit search, you’ll see “links to forum posts that include relevant advice from people,” in addition to other web results.

Discussions and forums has rolled out today, but only for mobile users in the US. Google says they’ll keep an eye on how helpful the feature is and expand it if it is a success.

Also in the blog, Google mentions that it is attempting to break down language barriers in its search results. It plans on doing this by automatically translating international news stories to your preferred language. So if you wanted perspectives on news that happened in Mexico, the story will be translated into the language you want.

Unlike the Discussions and forums feature, this feature won’t be ready until early 2023.