Picture perfect?
Google has launched a visual search tool called Instant Previews to make it faster for users to find the right result.
"Instant Previews provides a graphic overview of a search result and highlights the most relevant sections, making finding the right page as quick and easy as flipping through a magazine," according to Google's blog.
Users can test drive the tool by clicking on the magnifying glass next to the title of a search result and a visual overview of the page will appear on the right. Users can then hover their cursor over any result to see a preview.
Google said its testing found that people using Instant Previews are 5 percent more likely to be satisfied with their search results.
The search giant believes the new tool allows users to quickly compare results as they can flip through visual previews to see which page looks best as well as pinpoint relevant content with ‘text call outs' that can highlight where a search term appears on a webpage, letting users evaluate if it's what they're looking for. Page Previews also let users see the layout of a webpage before clicking the search result.
Google believes the tool could come in handy in certain scenarios such like if you looked at a page before and can't find it again, or if you're searching for an official website where the right logo is clearly visible.
The firm said it was mindful that earlier attempts at visual search took too long to load compared to normal websites.
However, the tool now matches a query with an index of the web, "identify the relevant parts of each webpage, stitch them together and serve the resulting preview completely customized to your search-usually in under one-tenth of a second," it said.
Google said Instant Previews will be available in 40 languages in the ‘next few days'.