Google has rolled out a new article suggestion engine for mobile websites. The engine, is an extension of Google's Google+ offerings, and will recommend content based off of search authorship signals, Google+ activity and what page the reader is viewing.
The news discovery feature is available now, operating on both Android and iOS, and could help publications to keep readers reading, and sharing, articles on their mobile websites.
Users don't have to install a thing. The snappy interface pops up at the bottom of any article on a mobile website using the feature, temporarily replacing any mobile banner ads at the bottom of the page. The bar is triggered when a user scrolls down an article, then scrolls back up.
Forbes is the first website to use the new feature. In a post written by Andrea Spiegal, the publication explained it partnered with Google to better serve readers, who're increasingly reading and sharing the site's materials on mobile devices. The site was already working on a solution to keep users on their mobile website, when Google contacted the publication in February.
"When you help someone find a great article on your site, you're not only making them happier, you're inspiring deeper engagement and loyalty," wrote Mario Anima, Google+ product manager. "That's why today, we're bringing together elements of Google+ and Google Search to suggest the right content from your mobile website, at just the right time."
Forbes Director of Technical Product Management, Roger Theriault, told Spiegal that integrating the feature was simply a matter of enabling Mobile Recommendations in the publication's Google+ page and adding a line of Javascript into the site's main template.
Any publication is capable of adding the free feature, provided they have a Google+ profile page to manage the recommendation tool.
The company recently rolled out its Google+ sign-in, allowing publishers to use Google+ profiles as a method of commenting and creating a profile on the publication's website, much like Facebook sign-in feature.
Google is expected to announce more Google+ features this week when the company's annual Google I/O developers conference launches on Wednesday.
