In a bid to cater to the growing demand for women's sports information, Google has been able to provide a range of updates designed to streamline the process of finding relevant content. These enhancements have already been actioned during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Google's efforts focus on enriching the user experience by providing comprehensive coverage of women's sports events. The company has expanded its information boxes, prominently displayed at the top of search results, to encompass a staggering 380 leagues. This expansion includes the incorporation of more than 110 leagues across women's soccer, cricket, and rugby within the past year. Furthermore, Google has engaged in partnerships with broadcasters and rights holders to facilitate direct access to live streams and highlights, accessible directly from the Search results page.
To tailor its services even further to user preferences, Google has fine-tuned its systems to better understand the intricacies of search intent. This includes analysing increasing search queries related to tournaments and other pertinent factors. By interpreting user behavior more accurately, Google can effectively curate content related to women's leagues and trending events.
Language-specific enhancements have also been introduced, particularly in gendered languages like Spanish, German, and Hindi. For instance, queries in Spanish such as "jugadoras de béisbol" (the feminine form of "baseball players") now yield more gender-appropriate responses.
Acknowledging the existing imbalances in online coverage between men's and women's sports, Google is actively collaborating with content creators and news publishers to rectify this disparity. The company aims to elevate the quantity and quality of media coverage dedicated to women's sports to ensure equitable representation.
During the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Google users have access host of features tailored to enrich their tournament experience. These features include official highlights, real-time team tracking, game notifications, and an array of statistics such as head-to-head records, recent team performance, and win probabilities.
As the appetite for women's sports continues to grow, Google's commitment to improving the accessibility and visibility of such content signifies a significant step forward in bridging the gap between men's and women's sports coverage on the web.