What is Google’s latest feature: multisearch

A look into a new method to search with text and images

Google is introducing a new tool, multisearch, that allows people to search with both images and text at the same time, within the same search query. 

Multisearch is available as an added feature of Google Lens, and it provides users an enhanced way to hunt down what they are looking for by adding more functionality.

The new feature was created for searches that don’t quite fit the standard box of a single image or text phrase search term, giving users more flexibility to combine these two search options.

Imagine you have an object, let’s say a product is in front of you, it is now possible to combine your text search by using an image and text together.

Thanks to Google’s advanced artificial intelligence technology, through multisearch in Google Lens you can search and ask questions about the object that you see.

For example, you may wish to find out if a grey shirt that you found is available in a different color. So you would take a screenshot of the stylish grey shirt and add the query “blue” to look for it in another color.

You can also use the feature to search for detailed instructions; you may wish to take a photo of a plant in your house and attach to the search query “care instructions”; you should then see related search results.

In order to use the feature, once it is available in your region, users should first update to the latest version of the Google app and then take the following steps:

• Open your Google app on either Android or iOS
• Tap the icon for Lens camera
• You can either upload and use a saved image from your device or take a photo using your camera and add this to the search
• The final simple step is to swipe up and tap the “+ Add to your search” button and then add the text to your search query

Google’s multi-search option can significantly enhance search matches, particularly, for now, shopping searches. For digital marketers, this could represent a change in the future for your ads and campaigns. Using visual elements and search terms together in your campaigns can boost the chance of ranking on Google, especially for these types of multisearches. Marketers should ensure that their products have clear images, relevant descriptions, and proper alt tags to begin to optimize for Google multisearch. 

Conclusion

Google has announced the rollout of the new multisearch tool in the US on Android and iOS in English language for the time being and as a beta feature, with the best results coming from shopping searches.

As a digital marketer today, it is always important to stay on top of Google’s latest updates and evaluate how they might impact your brand and what are the risks and opportunities; particularly as Google dominates the search engine market, with approximately a 90% market share of all searches made.

 As Google continuously explores new frontiers for its users to have a better search experience, this will result in your target audience accessing the content on your website, app, or other online platforms in new and innovative ways. Nowadays, consumers have many options to access your online content, whether it be via desktop search, mobile search, voice search, image search, and, imminently, multisearch. Therefore, it is important to monitor and evaluate new trends in relation to your brand to understand your audience, as it may indicate where they are in the purchase cycle and how likely the visitor might engage with your content, sign up, purchase, subscribe or take any other desired action on your website.

If you have any questions related to Google search, please feel free to contact us at info@relevantaudience.com for more information