Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new Google Web Guide feature uses AI to sort search results into categories.
- It’s part of Search Labs and is now available under the Web tab for opted-in users.
- The feature could expand to other parts of Search as testing progresses.
Ever feel like your search results are just a wall of blue links in a random order? Google’s all-knowing algorithm already tried to feed you the most relevant links, but now it may be going one step further in categorizing your results. Those who’ve signed up for Search Labs can already give it a try.
As a new Google Blog post explains, the company has launched a new Search Labs feature called Web Guide. It uses AI to group your search results into categories, starting with users who opt in under the Web tab. Google says it may eventually expand to the main All tab, subject to testing.
Let’s say you search for “how to solo travel in Japan.” Instead of one long list of web pages, Web Guide might break it up into sections like “Comprehensive guides for solo travel in Japan” and “Personal experiences and tips from solo travelers.” The idea appears to be that if your open-ended search didn’t fully convey what kind of content you’re after, the results categories make it easier to hone in on the type of answers that you had in mind.
Web Guide uses a custom version of Gemini and something called “query fan-out,” which essentially means it runs a bunch of related searches in the background to surface more relevant results. It’s a similar approach to the one behind AI Mode, which also uses Gemini to enhance how results are presented.
For those checking out the new feature, you can switch back to the regular results view whenever you want, although Google says it’s planning to gradually roll this AI-organized layout into other areas of Search.
