- Some users have spotted blue checkmarks on Google search results this week.
- According to Google, it is a new feature that it is testing out on its search platform.
- The purpose of the checkmarks would be to indicate businesses that are trustworthy.
Verified checkmarks are nothing new for social media platforms. Normally they serve as a way to indicate that the person or account posting messages and content is indeed who they say they are, although the system has mutated significantly from its original format on X (formerly Twitter).
Now Google is testing out verified checkmarks, but not in a return of Google+ or some other social media. Instead, it is being tested in search results, as spotted by some users recently, and in particular The Verge.
The publication noticed that blue checkmarks began appearing next to companies like Microsoft, Meta, Epic Games, Apple, Amazon, HP, and others recently. This may be being tested out in the United States alone for now, however, as a search of those same companies for the South African version of Google Search yields no such blue ticks.
Hovering over the checkmark also brings up this notification – “Google’s signals suggest that this business is the business that it says it is.”
As for the reason for testing out such a feature, it is all in the effort of verifying trustworthiness, accord to Google.
“We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we are currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google,” an unnamed spokesperson told The Verge in a statement.
At the time of writing it is unclear whether this test will become a fully fledged feature, but we can certainly see some merit in its application, especially given how many fake businesses operate online in order to capture user information for nefarious means.
It is also unknown whether the checkmarks would be only for official businesses, or if Google plans to expand it to other types of search results like news. Having a checkmark next to the name of a publication regarding a trending story could prove useful in helping people know what content comes from a reputable source and which is likely trying to spread misinformation.
For now this remains a test, but it will be interesting to see if Google looks to make it a key part of search for businesses moving forward.