A new feature introduced today by Google lets users quickly preview forum discussions within search results.
The new feature will apply to sites that have a large number of relevant posts for a user’s search query. Users will see the topic of the thread, the number of posts, and the date the thread was posted.
According to Google’s post from director of product management Johanna Wright, “We hope this feature gives you a deeper view into the relevant content available on sites throughout the web – even when that content spans multiple pages or discussions. At the same time, the main search results are diverse as always – so if you can’t pinpoint a useful comment there’s a list of relevant sites there to help.”
The feature seems simple enough, but it’s a relevant and welcome addition to Google’s search offering and an interesting commentary on the SEO value of forum discussions. In a recent video interview with Vanilla forum software creator Mark O’Sullivan, we chatted in depth on the evergreen nature and value of forum discussions, especially in terms of search.
We can speculate that the Google team might be working on a similar solution for Q&A sites; it would only make sense.
