Some Google users (and let's face it, that's everyone these days) may have noticed a new drop-down box amidst their search results, titled "People also ask."
The feature, first noticed in April by Search Engine Roundtable, appears to be rolling out to a larger number of users, many of which have been mentioning the new feature on Twitter.
For example, a search for "Facebook earnings" suggests a search for Facebook's next earnings report. Click it, and it'll expand into a short answer for that query, with a related link and a link for a full search.
The box is similar to Google's "related searches" feature, which still appears at the bottom of the Google search page. In some queries we've tried, we've seen similar suggestions in both places. However, the "People also ask" box offers queries that sound more natural, so the suggestions often seem to expand and broaden the initial query instead of offering suggestions for more specific queries (for an example, do a search for "polarized sunglasses").
Google launched the feature quietly -- there's no mention of it on the company's official search blog. It's fair to assume, however, that it's just the search giant experimenting with how people interact with its search engine, the goal being to increase time spent on Google and find a better answer for your query in the process.
Google's search engine is an ever-changing product. In April, Google added the option for users to download their search history. In May, Google started displaying tweets in mobile search results, which was also the same month a report stated Google's plans to introduce a "buy" button in its search results.