Google Fact Check: What You Need to Know About the Feature

The existence of the internet is very helpful for information search needs, which are now increasingly needed in various activities. Along with this increase in online search activity, Google implemented a fact check feature that verifies the information on the search results page.

In its development process, Google is determined to become a search engine that provides accurate and reliable information to its users.

If previously ranking was determined based on the number of backlinks, now the consideration is checking the accuracy of the information on the website page itself.

In other words, popular websites do not always provide reliable information. Google programmers also created a fact-checking system by implementing structured data.

So, how does the Google fact check system work? To help you understand this feature, see the explanation below.

What is Fact Check?

Fact check is a feature implemented by Google to verify the truth of facts and claims stated in a statement, article, news article, or other content. The main purpose of implementing fact checks is to help users get accurate information about an event or topic.

Therefore, the existence of a fact check plays an important role in providing and ensuring accuracy, transparency, and accountability.

Why is Information Testing Important for Google?

Google's goal is to provide users with relevant, accurate, and useful search experiences and results.

In order to achieve this goal, Google relies on testing information in the process of verifying the truth and quality of information stated in a statement, article, news story, or other content. Here are some reasons why information testing is important to Google:

1. Fighting the Spread of Misinformation

In this digital era, information can easily be disseminated widely through various platforms. One negative impact of this phenomenon is the increased spread of hoaxes.

Therefore, the presence of fact-checking becomes crucial in combating hoaxes. Through fact-checking, Google strives to ensure that the information displayed in search results is accurate, accountable, and reliable.

2. Providing the Best User Experience

Information testing is used by Google to verify the correctness of facts that appear in search results so that users can obtain information that is not misleading, true, and useful. That way, Google can provide the best experience for its users.

3. Increase User Trust

One of Google's steps to providing the best experience to its users is to present accurate and verified search results. If this is done consistently, Google can increase the trust of its users. This is an important factor in maintaining user loyalty and building positive brand awareness.

4. Meet Quality and Ethical Standards

Google has guidelines and policies for providing search services. The existence of testing information can help 

Google maintains the quality and ethical standards according to their guidelines and policies. That way, Google can provide users with accurate, relevant, and quality search results.

Google Fact Check in User's Eyes

Google implements fact checks on Google Search, Google Image, and Google News to provide relevant and verified information about the statements that are being searched by users. The following is an explanation of how the feature looks on these platforms:

Google Search

When a user performs a search on Google, the results will display any information that has been verified by the fact check. The results of that verification will display a citation that notifies the maker of the statement, the name of the publisher who carried out the fact checking, and a summary of the activity from the publisher.

Google Image

Verification results by fact check on Google Image will display a quote on the image when it appears in the search results. When an image is in search results, Google will display a quote in the form of a fact check label on the thumbnail and the domain name that did the information verification.

Meanwhile, when the user has selected an image in the search results, Google will display a quote in the form of a claim, the name of the publisher who carried out the fact check, and a summary of the verification from the publisher.

Google News

Users can find articles that have been verified by news publishers in several places on Google News, such as Top Stories and Full Coverage. Articles that have passed verification will be labeled "fact check".

How Google Determines Fact Check

Google strives to provide verified and accurate information to help users make more informed decisions.

To achieve this, Google implements a fact-checking feature to verify the truth of the facts stated in a statement, article, news story, or other content. Here's how Google determines a fact check:

1. Finding Multiple Perspectives on Top Stories With New Features

A story can be understood better if you find various sources and perspectives that will help users understand the content. Therefore, various sources of information are needed to provide more perspectives.

To solve these problems, Google launched a new feature called Perspectives. It's a carousel that will appear under Top Stories. This feature will display insights and views from various journalists, experts, and other relevant opinions on the topics that are being searched by users. 

2. Understand the Source Using About This Author

When new insights, views, and perspectives emerge, Google must make sure its users can easily understand them. The goal is for users to discover new insights, views, and perspectives they can trust.

From this phenomenon, Google launched a new feature called About this author. Through this feature, users can find more background information from sources that have been read in full.

3. Getting Context Is Easier With “About This Page”

The About This Page feature was created by Google to make it easy for users to learn more information about the source and topic on a particular page.

Through this feature, users can quickly see an overview of a website, other people's opinions about the website, and the latest coverage about the website. From there, users can evaluate the website.

4. Finding Information Gaps

Some of the information that appears in search results changes quickly. For some people, this will be a little annoying.

To address this information gap, Google Search will automatically display content suggestions when a topic is trending. This can provide users with better context and search results. 

5. Invest In Information Literacy and Fact Check

In addition to creating useful features, Google also partners with other agencies to invest in information literacy and fact-checking.

Currently, Google partners with the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association that provides training for approximately 1,000 librarians and library staff through the Super Searchers program. Super Searches is a curriculum developed to help build information literacy skills.

In addition, Google also partners with MediaWise, a non-profit organization from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. This step was taken by Google to expand the fact-check network among teenagers.

With these partnerships, Google can help users build media literacy skills.

Types of Structured Data for Fact Check

Google requires the inclusion of a mandatory property of structured data in content for it to display. The following are the types of structured data:

1. ClaimReview

ClaimReview is a structured data type that has the function of presenting various relevant information about a statement that is verified by a fact-checking organization.

It contains a summary containing information about the statement being examined, the source of the statement, the results of the verification, and the fact report.

ClaimReview has the required properties claimReviewed, reviewRating, and url. Through ClaimReview, Google can enrich search results with information that can assist users in evaluating the truth of the statements they encounter. 

2. Claim

Claim is a statement that becomes an object in content. The statement can be in the form of a political, health, product, or service statement, or other relevant statements. It provides sufficient contextual information to minimize the risk of ambiguity in the content.

3. Ratings

Ratings are used to provide an assessment or evaluation of the truth or validity of the statement being examined. The rating system uses a numerical scale in its assessment.

Ratings can help users more easily understand the results of fact-checking and get an idea of the truth of the statements being checked. This structured data has the required property alternateName.

How to Add Fact Check Structured Data to Website

Structured data is an implication between the image file and the page that displays it. This data must be added when the image is used, even if the image is the same. Here's how to do structured data creation, testing, and release:

1. Add required properties, such as contentUrl, creator, creditText, copyrightNotice, or license.
2. Follow the general structured data guidelines that don't violate the content policies for Google Search, ranging from technical guidelines to quality guidelines.
3. Validate your code using the Rich Results Test.
4. Deploy some pages that include structured data and use the URL inspection tool to test how Google sees the pages. Make sure the page isn't blocked by a robots.txt file, noindex tag, or login requirements so that Google can access it. If the page is fine, you can ask Google to crawl the URL.
5. Submit a sitemap so that Google continues to recognize and be aware of any changes.

So, that's a guide on Google fact check that can help you understand how checking information on online searches works.

The application of this system will probably have more or less of an effect on your website. However, you don't need to worry if the information you present on the website is accurate and reliable.

On the other hand, you can use the SEO Article Writer services from cmlabs to present informative and SEO-friendly content.

Writing content on cmlabs is done through a comprehensive keyword research process that takes search intent nto account . That way, the information presented can answer user questions.