Google uses hundreds of signals to determine how to rank web pages in the natural search results. The rankings factors it uses constantly change in an attempt to make the results more personalised, including using your search history and location.
Google has now developed a new patent that could mean what you watch on TV will influence your search results. The idea is that a server detects the television programme by the proximity of your device to the television. This information is saved within a specific time window.
Then if you perform a search they would decide whether the results are influenced by your current TV viewing. Of course, there needs to be a high degree of correlation between the TV programme and the search query
So, for example, if a user was watching a show that includes Audi cars and searches for ‘Audi’ the search engine would return results based on the model of car in the programme. This might include:
- Links to the actual model featured
- Information about what is currently airing
- Suggestions of similar programming that is currently airing or airing in the future
This should provide a better user experience, as it’s quite common for people to browse the internet searching for information about something they’ve seen on the TV.
The technology isn’t actually totally new, Google already uses part of this process within a Google Now feature called TV cards . This feature provides information about the TV show you’re watching, including further details about characters and reminders of other shows you might like to watch.
So, in part, TV Rank is already here. For those of you that use the Google Now service on your TV, simply connect this service so it listens to the TV show.