Google Takes On Twitter With New Feature Test

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Could Google’s new feature test be the end of Twitter? According to reports, Google is testing a new feature that will allow people, groups and media to publish updates in Google’s search results. Uh oh!

Although specific details have not been made known yet, it is believed that Google is now testing this feature among a few select users or groups of users who will be able to input short text updates on search results’ pages. Along with the copy, users will be able to add url, video and images as well.

Google is allowing some users to input text, URLs, videos and images in search results

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These short updates will last for up to 7 weeks, accommodate 14,400 characters, and host up to 10 images or video in any post. This is definitely a departure from Twitter‘s standard format but it doesn’t make it less threatening. Here’s how the new results page (temporarily named Google Posts) looks, when typing HBO Silicon Valley on the search engine.

This move could signal the beginning of a war between Twitter and Google. Less than a year ago, the two companies signed a deal, which would see Google inserting selected Tweets on its search results page, and prioritise them over other content sources. The latest update contradicts the agreement, as it will prioritise Google’s own content, and push Twitter content further down the results.

Google is testing rich content published directly in its search results. Should Twitter worry?

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Moreover, Google’s new, rich media approach could turn out as an improved version of Twitter’s not so successful Moments feature, which assorts all Twitter content related to a specific subject under a single umbrella. Twitter has been under scrutiny for the past couple of years, and criticised over its lack of user-growth and underperforming revenue. This new development could bring even more turbulence to the company.

Image courtesy of Re/Code.