The “search insight” boxes will highlight whether geography, recent searches or the users’ web history have been used to determine the rankings.

“As we continue to refine our search algorithms to deliver more relevant results, we strive to be as open as possible about how we use data to improve your search experience,” shared Rachel Garb, a Google product manager.

Given Google’s deliberate attempts to be more transparent, this could be viewed as a significant move in the right direction. That said, Google aren’t quite ready to disclose the 12 secret “herbs and spices” that control the core of their ranking algorithm.

Rachel Grab went on to say: “This new feature doesn’t change anything at all about how you search on Google and the results you get, it just gives you more of a behind-the-scenes look at how we customize your search experience.”

As the new insights will be derived from users previous searches and web history, I’m fairly sure this new feature will be reserved for users who are logged into their Google accounts when searching.

I wonder if Google will permit users to change the search results by switching off filters and customization. If you’re previous search history has no bearing on the current search, the new feature might create a less relevant search experience.

What do you think of the new search insights? Would you like to be able to switch the filters on and off to improve the relevance? share your thoughts via the comments below.