Google search keeps getting better every time we turn around. This time, Google has added a new feature that will likely bring some privacy concerns into the picture: Gmail content on Google Search.
Of course, to most users of Gmail, personal search results have been around since January when Google hooked Google Plus activity into search results to make them more relevant. Google’s attempt to take this a little further by including your Gmail content is likely a move that was to come if Google Plus proved popular with users.
What’s your take on this? Share your comments below.
Field Trial Search Experiment
I have personally enrolled for the field trial to see how this works. Google has gone a step further to ensure that you understand that it is your Gmail content by adding a side section that allows you to optionally accept the search engine results page to be populated with your Gmail content or not. I was able to locate information that I never thought was even there using Google Search. Your Gmail results will usually be hidden from view by default, but you will be able to see a snapshot of the content when you click on the view menu. Upon clicking on the Gmail content, you will be shown a dedicated view of the relevant email thread without moving into Gmail.
Old Treasures in Google Search
For those of us who have been using Gmail and Google Search since 2004, when Gmail was launched, we have vast amounts of content that has been lost in time. The new feature will likely unearth some of these treasures as you search for content online. I always had the feeling that Google would come up with a way to effectively search my Gmail content and thus the reason why I never deleted my emails, newsletters content and subscription content that have been filling up my inbox.
With this new Gmail search tool, I will be able to search through my emails at one go while looking at relevant content from the Web. Google says it is even willing to plug in search results from other mail clients with their permission.
As keywords and linkage become less important and relationships and social engagement become a more important ranking element, Google is giving its users and potential users one more reason why Google search is still relevant and the destination of choice for online users.