In search results, Google may show more short-form videos.
Google is experimenting with new methods to display more short-form videos in search results, which it regards as a clear and concise style for answering specified queries.
It was confirmed in the most recent Search Off The Record podcast episode, hosted by Google Product Manager Danielle Marshak, in charge of videos in search results. nnIn an episode focused on videos in Google Search, Gary Illyes and Lizzi Sassman from the company’s Search Relations team are joined by Danielle Marshak.
In addition to learning that Google wants to increase the number of short videos in search results, according to reports, we know that Search Relations is interested in producing its own.
Is Google planning on adding more short-form videos?
According to Marshak, a “short” video is less than five minutes long and has a vertical aspect ratio. She claims that this format can convey a lot of information in a short period. Google is considering bringing short videos to the forefront of search results because they’re so helpful for searchers.
Marshak states:
“And this format, it’s really cool because as I mentioned, it is very concise. You can get a lot of information in a short period of time, and you can also get a loot of different views and perspectives…
So we think this kind of content could be useful for a lot of different types of search queries, and we’ve been experimenting with how to show it to users more often.”
What Kinds Of Short Videos Would Google Show?
Marshak is asked to provide examples of short informational videos Google might surface in search results.
She gives an example of a video that shows how to prepare a dish:
“So let’s say, again, you’re searching for some new ideas to make banana bread. And right now, you might see traditional recipes, you might see longer videos, but you could also see short videos, which could just give you a different style or perspective.
And people’s preferences are different. Some people might prefer to read; some people might prefer a longer video; some people might prefer short videos.
And so we want to offer a lot of different options to get that type of information, in the format that is most useful for you. So that’s one example.”
Illyes adds to the discussion, saying he enjoys short videos and may consider making some to educate people about Google Search.
Illyes states:
“Yeah, I really like short-form videos and I see lots of instructional videos on certain sites. And I really think that at one point, we might want to try it for education purposes. Like for research, talks.
I don’t know if we are there yet, but eventually, especially if I see that the search engines pick it up, and they can present it in some way, then maybe we should push for it.”
What Role Would Google Play in Short Form Video?
When Google crawled and indexed these films, they would have appeared in the search results. This is something that has already been accomplished with self-hosted short films like as Google web stories, and it might be feasible with other videos as well.
Since TikTok videos have a URL you can visit in a web browser, Google may be able to index them in search, Illyes says:
“You can actually open it on the laptop and you will end up on a web page and you can actually watch it on the web page. You don’t have to have the TikTok app for watching the video.
So I imagine that if they allow crawling–I haven’t checked, then we can probably index those videos as well.”
Because they need an app to view, short films on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram were not indexed by Google. Listen to the podcast below for the full discussion on videos in Google Search. Alternatively, skip to the 17-minute mark for a discussion on short films.
