Google Labs: Refining Invention

Where have some of the most exciting inventions been born in the last few years? Google Labs. What is Google Labs? The labs represent the testing and staging area for Google. This is where they take their horses to run, so to speak. The labs offer users a unique opportunity to see what new applications will be sweeping across the Googlescape for years to come. Let’s take a look at how the labs work and what exactly the labs can offer us as users.

Great Google Lab Options

Google is constantly upgrading their search algorithm. Webmasters and SEO specialists make a living off figuring out the mechanisms of Google search and selling their understanding to others. While Google certainly won’t tell you what goes into the algorithm, they do let you see the experimental side of their search engine. The Experimental Search Engine does just that.

The Google Experimental Search Features

Anyone can visit the Google Labs to see what direction Google plans to take their illustrious search engine. The current features include seeing the density of keywords right in the search bar, alternate views for search results, various keyboard shortcuts, left-hand search navigation, and right-hand contextual search navigation. The various experimental searches offer a different approach to searching with Google and provide users with valuable information they cannot find from competing search engines.

Google Trends

The modern world seems to be run by trends. Our popular forms of media all seem to follow various trends until a new one emerges. It should surprise no one that the leading information cataloger would have a trend search. Google Trends will show you the frequency of the keyword usage in various documents online. The trend also shows the number of users who searched for that word or phrase within the past few years. Google Trends may be useful to niche marketers or those looking for specific keywords to advertise through contextual advertising.

The example below shows the word Kindle, which had a higher search volume around the time Amazon unveiled their digital eBook reader named the Kindle.