Google search prioritizes local information based on the user’s location in a new carousel

Google has presented a new carousel in which it prioritizes local information according to where the user is in its search engine, in order to encourage the promotion of smaller media and that these occupy the first line of news.

As reported Google In a statement, this tool aims to provide new opportunities to local media, such as newspapers or magazines, in order to meet the requirements of users, who are currently searching more frequently for news that has taken place near their location.

Based on a report carried out by the company, which has studied these search habits of users since 2015 and has confirmed that the total number of readers seeking local news has increased, it has made this tool available in the search carousel.

“This carousel will be available globally in all languages ​​and will help readers easily find stories close to them from local news publishers. This feature helps publishers by adding another avenue for their essential information to reach the community that needs it most. “, stated in this release.

In this way, the seeker will place first the result of a second division match or information related to a local football team in a town or small city when the user types that sport in the search engine, instead of giving priority to national sports entities.

On the other hand, Google has announced a new tool for journalists to find data with which to support their local news. It is a project called Census Mapper, an embeddable map that displays census data both nationally and for states and counties. For now, it is only available in USA.

In this presentation Google has also recalled that it is interested in investing in data journalism and does so through Common Knowledge Project, also available in Spain, which offers comparative tables and percentages in relation to education, age, race or income, among other options, of a specific city.

This new version, the tool “Created with journalists for journalists”, as mentioned Google, includes contributions from journalists, as well as geographic comparisons, new graphics and visuals. In this way, it is possible to access data such as which is the city that has experienced the greatest population growth, in what percentage it has grown or which is the most inhabited place in a country.