Dive Brief:

• According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has been testing a new feature since January that allows marketers, media companies and others to publish directly to Google and get that content immediately into search results.
• A Google spokesperson told the Journal the feature is still in an experimental phase with no timeline for rolling it out for more participants.
• Last week, HBO’s “Silicon Valley” comedy series took advantage of the feature to run fake news items based on the show’s companies to coincide with the third season premiere.

Dive Insight:

For marketers the opportunity to immediately get content into search results should be an intriguing option – particularly for content that addresses real-time or trending topics. It has always been possible to quickly publish a blog post and distribute the link via social media using trending hashtags. Though, getting content directly into Google search results brings taking advantage of hot topics to another level.

The content is uploaded via a web-based interface and can be up to 14,400 characters long with as many as 10 images and videos as well as links. The interface also allows that content to be shared via Twitter, Facebook or email. The content is hosted by Google on a dedicated page and appears in search results for a week. After that point, it no longer shows up in searches, but remains live and accessible through a link.

The feature is still in testing on an invitation only basis, and is separate from Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages project. As the Journal noted, the feature comes during a time when brands, marketers and media companies are all acting as publishers, distributing content through online platforms and social media.