Google is experimenting with public search profile cards for individuals that would appear alongside regular search results, Android Police first reported on Thursday. The test is currently limited to India and the company currently has no plans for a wider launch, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land.
Why we care
If this feature receives a wider rollout, personal brands will have a new way to distinguish themselves on the search results, providing prospective clients or employers a way to find out more about them. This feature also provides personal brand owners with a degree of control over what information is available to searchers.
More on the news
- Google+, the company’s defunct social network, had a similar public profile feature when it launched in 2011.
- This new feature enables any user to search an individual’s name and view the information they choose to share, Android Police reported.
- Users must be signed into their own personal accounts to edit publically available information. Basic information, such as name, location, occupation and a personal summary are required. Photos and contact information, amongst other data fields, are optional.
- Android Police discovered the feature through three recently published Google Search support pages that have since been taken down.
- “In India, we have introduced and experimented with a number of tools to help people better manage their presence on Google Search,” a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land. “This is part of that continued experimentation, and we don’t have any launches to announce at this point.”
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Source: IAB