Google Unveils How They Can Now Use Your Past Searches to Suggest More Relevant Search Queries

Many Google searches are part of a longer series of queries, but Google didn’t always carry over the context from one query to another, all that is changing. We saw this as a test back in April, now they tell us a bit more on how it works.

In the past, searches were largely siloed off as a query would not impact how Google displayed the following ones. For example, if you searched for “turkey recipes” and then “carving,” Google would do nothing to associate or personalize the second term to the first. Rather, the search engine would just “use the most common interpretation in ranking results.” But with this change, they can determine that you’re looking to learn more about preparing and serving a turkey and will provide you with a helpful suggestion at the top of your search results page to get you to what you were actually looking for.

This understanding of context also enables Google to surface more relevant follow-up questions to help you take the next step in exploring a topic. Prior to introducing these features, if you had searched for “how to make a napkin fan,” Google might have helped you discover additional information by showing you similar questions such as “How do you make a cone napkin?” With contextual learning, Google can source even more relevant questions in the “People also ask” section, like “How do you make a turkey out of a cloth napkin?”

Another example, say you’re looking for a movie the whole family can enjoy. As you search through family-friendly holiday flicks like The Polar Express and A Christmas Story, Google may detect that you’re exploring related ideas and show a list of similar movies to help you more easily browse for the perfect pick.