Google Search is now better at deciphering your questions

Google posted on its blog yesterday that it is updating its algorithm as it pertains to questions we ask in Google Search. Believe it or not, Googling things is a skill; popping in a question like, “How big is the sun?” is not nearly as efficient of a query as “Mass of sun,” for example. That’s because the query “How big” could mean mass, diameter, or volume, and Google doesn’t know which answer you want.

The company tries really hard to train people to Google things correctly so that they can find the best answers as quickly as possible. But, at the same time, it understands that many people look at Google as a question-answer service, and is reacting accordingly.

Now, when you put in questions that could have multiple meanings, Google will interpret your question and spit back those multiple answers. In the blog post, Google gives the example of “Garden needs full sun?” which could be interpreted as “What garden plants need full sun?” or “What counts as full sun?” With its new update, Search gives you answers for both, as depicted in this image:

This new update should help people who maybe aren’t as adept at Googling things (cough, Dad, cough) get the answers they’re looking for. However, both Google and Android Authority encourage everyone to learn more about how to use Google search as efficiently as possible, as it could be the difference between finding an answer in 10 seconds or finding an answer in 10 minutes.

Google (and other third-party organizations) offers plenty of free tutorials and classes that anyone can take to learn more about Search queries. Check one of them out in your spare time. Investing a few hours in learning could save hours of your life in the future!

For those of you who don’t want to invest that time, at least you can rest assured now that Google will be helping you answer your questions a little faster than last week.