What Is Google OneBox?
The Google search engine is best known for its general Web search capabilities, but there are also several more specific proprietary databases that Google accesses when you click the "Search" button. Whenever your Google search displays results that are more specific than that provided from a general web search, it displays those results in a Google OneBox.
Other People Are Reading
-
Description
-
Google OneBox displays special search results are displayed in an outlined box that appears either above or below the normal Web search results. The position of the Google OneBox results varies depending on the type of search term that you enter. Occasionally, you may have to click a "+" icon next to your search term to view OneBox results.
Direct Answers
-
Direct answers are a common type of OneBox result that appear when you enter a search term that has a definitive, concrete answer. For instance, if you enter a search string that asks to convert a measurement from centimeters to inches then the top of your search window features a OneBox window that displays the conversion. OneBox direct answers are available for a wide variety of search strings including weather queries, flight information, measurement conversions, factual questions, word definitions and stock quotes.
-
Local Results
-
Google often provides a OneBox window at the top of your search results when you enter a search term that refers to a specific locale. For instance, if you type "pizza douglas ma" into the Google search engine then you will see a OneBox that lists pizza vendors near Douglas, Massachusetts and displays their locations on in a Google Maps graphic. OneBox local results can display up to 10 potential locations; if you live in a large metropolitan area that is likely to yield significantly more results then the local results OneBox usually does not appear.
Other Google Properties
-
Whenever your search string triggers results from specialized Google properties, the search engine will return both typical search results and a OneBox that shows results from the special database. Such OneBoxes may appear above or below the typical search results. Google properties that may produce a OneBox result include Google Scholar articles, current Google News articles or Google News archives, Google Images and Google Maps results.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
