Google introduced a new Highly Cited label in Google search used for top stories two weeks ago. This highly cited label now appears in mobile search results for selected news stories.
Any information, including local news stories, announcements, and press releases, will be eligible to receive the new label on the search result preview image. As long as other websites link to it, they will also be eligible. Search's "rapidly changing topics" and "About This Result," notices also get more information.
Joe Pawlikowski saw this in the wild and posted a screenshot on Twitter (hat tip @ShalomGood).
Google stated that the highly cited label in Google search would allow searchers to "identify stories frequently quoted by other news organizations. It will offer them a simple method to find the most useful or relevant information for news stories. Google said that the label works for all stories, and it works for an "investigative piece to an interview or announcement, a press release, or a local news article." It is now live, and Google decides if a label should go in a news article based on the links.
Highly Cited Label in Google Search – How It Helps?
Google is working on expanding its efforts to assist searchers in critically evaluating the presented results. It will remind searchers to verify the source of information for "rapidly changing topics". Or they can return later when more information becomes available. The change will be available for English searches in the US today. They have also announced a custom feature for events covering the Ukraine-Russia war.
In the coming weeks, Google will also be improving its "About This Result." Google announced last year. This attribute provides more context about each website found in search results.
The search giant hopes its highly cited label will help highlight original reporting, including important context. Usually, the important content is stripped out when a news story gets wider coverage. But it should also be beneficial to find business press releases, where you can get authentic information directly from companies themselves.
