We all know that entering keywords into the Google search engine does not always give you what you are looking for. In fact it is often the case that the results appearing on the screen are exactly what you don’t need. Google in the US now seems to be doing its bit to ensure that those people who are most in need get the information they need. Apparently these improvements have been introduced at the suggestion of a concerned mother.
When you key in the term ‘suicide’, or related keywords, each search will come with a banner at the top of the page containing the national US suicide prevention number. This is a good idea and one that would likely work well in the UK and elsewhere as well. In fact there is so much low quality material on the internet that it would be great if other worthwhile numbers were to appear on the front page in relation to certain other keywords. Maybe the NHS helpline could appear on the page when people are searching for health information or an alcoholic helpline could appear when people are searching keywords related to this.
Having seen the example of how this is used in the US it would make sense to extend the system to the rest of Google around the world. These useful numbers are not going to be part of the rankings and can just sit their unobtrusively on the page for when they are needed. Even if they only help one person it would certainly be worth the effort. It is good to see that Google is willing to go beyond their ‘do no evil’ mantra and possibly do a bit more good. This seems to be the type of idea that comes with no downside.
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