Google's Experiments with Blue Highlights on SERP

In an effort to enhance user experience and provide more accurate search results, Google has updated the visualization of SERP, including the use of blue highlights. This recent update involves the integration of blue-highlighted text with specific information that directly answers user search queries.

To learn more about blue highlights and the latest experiments discovered by users, read this article in its entirety.

 

What Is Blue Highlight?

Blue highlights in Google search results refer to specific text or information highlighted in blue within search results. This is a feature used by Google to emphasize information deemed relevant and important in the context of a user's search query.

It's important to note that not all Google search results have blue highlights, and users can only see them in "Featured Snippets" or "Rich Results" when Google believes there is information that can be presented briefly and clearly.

Additionally, the font size of the highlighted text is larger, making it more prominent on the search results page. Blue highlights are one of the features that Google has developed to improve the quality and relevance of search results for users.

 

 

From the image above, it can be seen that the top result has a blue highlight with a larger font size. This highlight is not present in the second search result. This indicates that blue highlights are exclusive to top-ranked results.

 

Benefits of Blue Highlight from an SEO Perspective

Blue highlights are highly advantageous for websites that rank at the top of SERP. As a result, users can easily find the information they need, and if users want to access the highlighted information, they can directly click on the website.

From a user perspective, the time required to obtain information is shortened without having to visit every website that appears on the SERP.

From an SEO standpoint, this presents a new challenge in understanding what is considered important by Google's algorithm. The presence of the blue highlight feature encourages content writers to include variant keywords that Google may find important.

 

Google's Experiments with Search Highlights

The first introduction of search highlights was in 2020 after two years of experiment. During the testing phase, Google experimented with various highlight text colors, including blue and yellow.

After testing, Google has now decided to implement blue highlights as the standard feature for existing featured snippets. When users click on the highlighted result, the page will automatically open to the highlighted section.

Recently, users shared an image via X regarding blue highlights found on a 10-blue-links search result. This is not a common occurrence because blue highlights are typically displayed only for the top-ranking result.

Here is an image shared by Jonas Sickler via the X account:

 

It appears that Google is currently experimenting with this feature, leading to multiple blue highlights on a single search results page. However, this phenomenon is a common occurrence when Google experiments with SERP features.