Google Trials Auto-Play Videos In SERPs

Google has begun trialling auto-play videos on its search results page. A spokesman for Google said that the company was “constantly experimenting with ways to improve the search experience for… users”. The feature first appeared near the end of July, with videos appearing on the right-hand side of the results page, although it currently appears to be limited to search queries around films. It was also noted that the addition was limited to desktop searches. The idea of auto-play videos already exists on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and has been proven to increase revenue. Mark Zuckerberg commented on their use on Facebook, saying that the company had “proved that having a quick start auto-play can be a good experience” for users. However, Apple recently announced that its new Mac OS system would feature technology that would allow users to block such videos. 

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