Google launches a dedicated COVID-19 website, focused on locally relevant info in the US, as well as enhanced Search results for terms related to the disease
After lots of complicated drama, a simple website — One week ago, President Donald Trump held a press conference wherein …
The VergeDieter Bohn
Context & Ripple Effects
The launch closes out a chaotic week: on March 15 and 16, Google said it was working with the US government to build a nationwide COVID-19 website covering symptoms, risks, and testing info, after President Trump's press conference set expectations high. What shipped instead is deliberately narrower — a simple site with locally relevant information for US users, plus enhanced Search results for disease-related queries.
First-order effects
US users searching for COVID-19 terms now get locally relevant information directly in results and on a dedicated site, rather than piecing together state and federal sources themselves.
If the pattern holds, crisis-response information becomes a standing Search product rather than a one-off page — the local COVID-19 news carousel launched here was later expanded to topics like sports and government across all languages (carousel expansion), suggesting a template for how Google packages authoritative local information during emergencies.
The trend: Google is turning Search into de facto public-health infrastructure, with government partnerships defining what authoritative crisis information looks like at national scale.
The much-hyped and highly anticipated GOOGLE COVID-19 website finally launched for the US. A simple information portal with links to content, it has nothing on promised drive-thru testing. #COVID19 https://www.google.com/... https://twitter.com/...
This #COVIDー19 Google site is ok, I guess. It's just a list of links and information. (Though definitely do the @yogawithadriene meditation, she's the best) but this is not the game changing site @realDonaldTrump was talking (bragging) about. https://www.theverge.com/...
The internet giant said it worked with “relevant agencies and authorities” to roll out the site - https://www.google.com/covid19 - which went live on the web late Friday offering education, prevention and local resources related to the novel coronavirus. https://www.detroitnews.c…
“The site was also designed with accessibility in mind, including with the larger fonts that Google usually uses. The website has videos in ASL, a global map showing confirmed cases by country, and plenty of information about Google's other relief efforts"https://www.theverge.com…
Applause to more authoritative information. But when this all passes, the record must show that even this project began with misinformation (which Google, too, chose not to correct). https://twitter.com/...
A new experience to provide COVID-19 / coronavirus information is rolling out on Google Search, along with a new dedicated site with easy access to information at https://www.google.com/... Learn more here: https://www.blog.google/... https://twitter.com/...
Some Google news about Google News. 1. Google News has a dedicated Covid 19 section in the left navigation bar. You can choose to follow it. https://news.google.com/... 2. Google now has an official Covid 19 resource center: https://www.google.com/... #coronavirus #covid19 https:…
Google's coronavirus website has finally launched. As you should have expected from the get-go, it's mostly a collection of information Google considers trustworthy, not an actual solution to the lack of available testing. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...