Google has added the "add note" search labs notes feature to the URL bar and in SGE while browsing. This makes it way more visible to add a note to a document than before, by placing the add note button directly on the web page you are reading, and not just in the search result snippets.
Glenn Gabe spotted this the other day and posted about it on X, he spotted Google adding an "add note" button to the SGE while browsing screen. Glenn wrote, "Many have wondered who would actually add a note BEFORE reading an article? Well, now we all have a Google commenting system on our sites. As of yesterday, I'm seeing "Add note" show up in 'SGE while browsing' (in 'Related insights' that shows up when you access 'SGE while browsing'). It's front and center too. This could start to yield many more Notes, and makes much more sense than just having it accessible in the SERPs."
But when I looked, I saw the "add notes" button even more in your face, directly in the search bar while using the Google Search app on iOS, while signed in:
It also showed up in the SGE while browsing slide-up window:
Here are more details from Glenn:
Also, interesting to NOT see the Notes option show up in 'SGE while browsing' for sites blocking Google-Extended. That does NOT stop SGE from using the content, only Bard (and other AI systems). SGE is a search feature so you can't block it via Google-Extended. But checking… pic.twitter.com/7LPb4Ya1kd
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 28, 2024
And this is a good response :)
LOL, yeah, should be interesting to see how this changes things... I've always said it was stupid to have Notes in the SERPs and Discover only... Who is adding a Note before reading?? And then you would have to track the article down again to add a Note after reading. This makes… pic.twitter.com/XsEOCRZqVl
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 28, 2024
The more exposure this feature needs to survive:
One more note about this, pun intended. This change will also expose *current* notes to many more people. When you visit a page that has notes already and you use 'SGE while browsing', the "Add note" button is there, but also the current notes for the page. See below. Again, this… pic.twitter.com/02DMH0RTOn
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 28, 2024
Some are also seeing it at the top of the search results page, but I am not sure if that is new, it should be on a snippet/URL by URL basis:
I see in the search results page too pic.twitter.com/jlOlez1pJl
— Shameem Adhikarath (@shemiadhikarath) January 28, 2024
I guess Google is working hard to get people to use the Notes feature in Search and Discover by placing the "add notes" button in more places.
I should note, that the "Add note" button shows up in the Google Search app for iOS and not yet for Android. At least based on the limited tests I've done.
Yep, seems this is even bigger than I thought. In the Google Search App on iOS, the "Add note" button is in the url bar. Holy cow, many people will now be exposed to Notes. So on Android, it's in 'SGE while browsing', but on iOS it's in the freaking url bar. Wow. :) https://t.co/iMp9XAEvlc
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 28, 2024
Quick update on Notes. It's now gaining even more visibility. Yesterday I noticed that Google is prompting me to add a note right from the *top* of Related Insights (the part that pops up and is visible before you even access the full insights). It says "Help others by sharing… pic.twitter.com/FiFmj0aqxV
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 31, 2024
Forum discussion at X.
