Google Instant Previews for Mobile

Google launched Instant Previews back in November. This is simply a feature that lets you see a preview thumbnail of a search result before you click through to view it. This gives you an idea of what...
Google Instant Previews for Mobile
Written by Chris Crum
  • Google launched Instant Previews back in November. This is simply a feature that lets you see a preview thumbnail of a search result before you click through to view it. This gives you an idea of what it will look like at a quick glance, and gave webmasters another reason to make sure they are using an appealing site design.

    Today, Google announced the launch of Google Instant Previews for Mobile (for Android (2.2+) and iOS (4.0+) devices across 38 languages).

    “Similar to the desktop version of Instant Previews, you can visually compare search results from webpage snapshots, making it easier to choose the right result faster, especially when you have an idea of the content you’d like to see,” says Brian Ngo, a software engineer on Google’s Mobile Search team.

    “For example, if you’re looking for a webpage that has both photos and descriptions, you can use Instant Previews to quickly identify these pages by navigating across the visual search results with a few swipes of your finger,” adds Ngo. “Or perhaps you’re looking for an article, a step-by-step instructions list, or a product comparison chart—with Instant Previews, you can easily spot pages with the right content without having to navigate back and forth between websites and search results. And when the mobile version of a website is available, we’ll show you a preview of the mobile page.”

    Google MobileNow you can use Instant Previews on your mobile device to find what you’re looking for faster. Do a search on www.google.com and tap on the magnifying glass next to any search result to see a side-by-side comparison of webpage snapshots. When you find something you like, tap on the preview to go straight to the webpage.

    Just like with the desktop version, to see previews while you search, tap the magnifying glass icon next to results.

    Google said upon the release of the desktop version of Instant Previews that people who use them are about 5% more likely to be satisfied with the results they click. Anything that helps improve your bounce rate has to be appreciated. Now, you just have to worry about making sure your previews are enticing.

    Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

    Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

    Subscribe
    Advertise with Us

    Ready to get started?

    Get our media kit