Google is revamping search on its 20th anniversary – here are the most exciting new features

To mark the 20th anniversary of search, Google has introduced tons of new features for a refreshed user experience across platforms. These range from organizing your search results better, to introducing an Instagram Stories-style presentation for select content. Here are my favorite new updates:

• Activity cards: When you revisit a search query from the past, Google will display all your previous steps in a handy card. Each activity card will display related search queries and all the pages you previously visited that were related to the topic. Don’t worry if that sounds like a bit too much: Google says that these cards won’t show up for every search result, and you can turn them off as well.

• Search collections: Everyone has different methods of saving search results related to a topic, from Trello boards to emails. But now, Google will let you save search results directly from activity cards to collections, and recommend some related links you might want to add.  This feature is fantastic for planning a trip or working on a project.

• AMP Stories: Instagram has made its Stories such a big hit that even Google couldn’t resist it. To begin with, Google is using AI to construct AMP stories focusing on celebrities and athletes. Publishers who have adopted the AMP Stories standard will see their content appear in this new format in search results. Users can’t create Stories just yet, though.

• Featured Videos: Google will now show you selected videos related to the topic you’ve searched for, as well as related sub-topics. For instance, if you search for Zion National Park, you will see videos related to each attraction in the park.

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• Google Lens integration in image search: The company has now brought Google Lens into Google Images, so when you tap on the Lens button, it will automatically identify objects within an image. You can click on any of the results and see relevant images.

• Discover: Google is introducing a new tab called Discover in its search app where all recommendations based on your interests will live. The company says that you will see more videos and evergreen content – articles which are not new to the internet, but might be new to you.

Check out all of Google’s new announcements in this blog post.