Google has made an important update to its Image Search with
a feature called “alternative meanings refinement boxes.” A lot of times when
we search for something on Google in English that has more than one meaning,
Google shows images related to all the possible meanings of that word. With the
newly added refinement boxes, users can filter through all the relevant options
given in the boxes related to the particular search.
Have you ever searched for something in Google Images and sometimes found the results dominated by the same image? To help, we made an improvement to Image Search to reduce duplicate images, so that we can display others that are relevant yet visually distinct.... pic.twitter.com/gGbC5v2aP8
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 11, 2021
For instance, if you search for the term “Jaguar,” the Google Image Search will display images related to both Jaguar the animal and Jaguar the car. Above both the options shown on the screen will be the boxes where you can click on the option of your choice and Google will then show you the relevant images.
There are also times when a query can relate to different things. For example, [jaguar] could mean either the animal or the car. Sometimes, one meaning can dominate image results. Our improvement works to show images for alternative meanings, when that seems helpful.... pic.twitter.com/YvAikMnJq2
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 11, 2021
This update was actually made in November last year, but Google
has announced it only now. Moreover, this new Search algorithm is the reason
why some searches that were not being ranked as the top searches have their rankings improved now.
The new Google Search feature is actually a helpful one,
considering how it gets annoying when you’re looking for a particular image but
come across irrelevant results on your Google Search page.
