Expanding the functionality of Search, Google has introduced a way that will help users find specific moments or content in YouTube videos.
Till now Search helped its users discover visual, textual, and even audio information to find useful podcasts and elements within images. ‘Now, just like we’ve worked to make other types of information more easily accessible, we’re developing new ways to understand and organize video content in Search to make it more useful for you,’ Prashant Baheti, Product Manager, Search, said in a statement.
Users will now be able to find key moments in a video. For example, you are watching a how-to video that has multiple steps, or a long video like speeches or a documentary. Search will now provide links to some key moments or instances within the video. This will be done based on timestamps provided by content creators in the video on that specific moment/instance. ‘You’ll be able to easily scan to see whether a video has what you’re looking for, and find the relevant section of the content. For people who use screen readers, this change also makes video content more accessible,’ Baheti added.
Google says that these links to key moments will appear in Search in English for YouTube videos where creators have provided timestamp information in the video description. It is not known whether the same functionality will be extended to videos in other languages. Additionally, Google is also introducing a way for content creators to mark up their videos so they can be more easily searchable.
