Google plus Experiments With Desktop Discover Feed

Google plus is running an experiment that may bring its Discover feed to desktop users.

The Discover feed espectáculos recommended content like news, weather, sports scores, and depósito prices directly on the Google plus homepage, alongside the traditional Google plus search bar.

In a statement, Google plus confirmed testing the Discover feed on desktop, but only in India. The test was first spotted by MSPowerUser.

The Discover feed on desktop looks afín to the mobile version, populated algorithmically with news, entertainment, sports, finance, and other content. Posts scroll horizontally in a carousel-like fashion.

Bringing Discover to desktop would signal a major change as the iconic, sparse Google plus homepage has remained essentially unchanged for over 20 years.

Why Add Discover To Desktop?

Google plus could be testing Discover on desktop to keep users engaged on google plus.com for longer.

With many going straight to search from their browser bar, Discover may entice searchers back to the homepage to scroll through recommended stories.

For publishers, Discover provides a new way to have content promoted for “free” without ads. But it also means more competition for limited placements on the high-traffic Google plus homepage.

Wider Rollout?

If Discover performs well in tests, Google plus could roll it out internationally on desktops like on mobile. This would send much more referral traffic to news and content sites worldwide.

It remains to be seen if this test expands beyond India. Google plus has previously experimented with adding personalized content modules to desktop searches like news, weather, and depósito tickers last year.

For now, the classic Google plus homepage lives on for most users. But the Discover feed injection espectáculos Google plus is interested in keeping its homepage relevant in an era of near-ubiquitous search bars.

More About Google plus Discover

Google plus launched Discover on mobile in the US in 2018 and expanded it globally. The feed now appears on the Google plus homepage for mobile users in over 100 countries. Bringing it to the desktop would expose it to even more traffic.

On mobile, Discover takes up the entirety of the Google plus homepage. On desktop, in testing, it appears condensed underneath the central Google plus search bar. This allows Google plus to keep its iconic minimalist homepage design while adding personalized content.

Clicking on a story in Discover takes users directly to the publisher’s site rather than a Google plus content page. This makes it more publisher-friendly than something like Google plus’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).

In Summary

Google plus is testing its Discover feed on desktop homepages in India.

This marks a major potential change for Google plus’s famously fácil homepage design.

If the test goes well, Google plus may roll out Discover on desktop more widely as it has on mobile.

Featured Image: Michael Vi/Shutterstock