Emojis Showing Up in Google Search Results for Competitive Searches

When emojis were first spotted in the Google desktop search results, we knew it wouldn’t be long before someone would be testing them out.  And Expedia seems to be the first one people noticed who is testing this in live search results.

Barry Schwartz posted about two emojis Expedia is running, but they are actually running tests across more than a dozen different emojis.

They are full on color emojis showing up for a variety of search terms related to Expedia travel packages.

Vegas:

Weddings & Romance:

Families:

Shopping:

“Green” Eco Vacations:

Beach Vacations:

Golfing:

Pet Friendly:

Adventure Vacations:

Hotels:

Car Rentals:

Flights:

There are probably a few more I missed.

They are also testing showing 5 stars at the start of the description line.  It is not showing up in Google’s search results but it is showing up in Bing.

Here is the source code for that section:

And it also shows as part of the title.It shows quite dramatically in the search results when you see it with one of the true reviewed ratings in Bing.

While we won’t be able to know how well they actually work, you can keep an eye on these searches and see if they drop the emojis – if SEOs don’t click on them and mess up their results that is!

Of course, there is always the possibility that Google will end up changing it so emojis can no longer be displayed.

I am still waiting for flames and shooting stars to show up for queries like payday loans and viagra 🙂

Added: And another non-Expedia example.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post

Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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