Dubbed Google Realtime Search, Google rolled out a page that returns Twitter conversations and other real-time results related to user search queries. This isn't Google's first move into real-time search, but it's the biggest. In fact, Google is calling Realtime Search its most significant enhancement to date, serving up real-time results on its own page complete with new search tools.

Google launched real-time search features in December. At that time, the company worked to increase the relevance of search results by offering the freshest information on the web. Google's goal was to bring real-time content from a comprehensive set of sources into search results.

Challenging Twitter

"On the new home page you'll find some great tools to help you refine and understand your results. First, you can use geographic refinements to find updates and news near you, or in a region you specify. So if you're traveling to Los Angeles this summer, you can check out tweets from Angelenos to get ideas for activities happening right where you are," Google Product Manager Dylan Casey wrote in the Official Google Blog.

Google has also added a conversations view to help searchers follow a discussion in real time on the web. This tops Twitter's search capabilities. Casey pointed out that a single tweet can often spark a larger conversation of re-tweets and other replies, but users have to click through a bunch of links and figure out how it all fits together on their own.

"With the new 'full conversation' feature, you can browse the entire conversation in a single glance," Casey wrote. "We organize the tweets from oldest to newest and indent so you quickly see how the conversation developed."

Advanced Users Only

Google didn't stop there. The search giant also added updated content to Google Alerts to make it easier to stay informed about a topic a searcher may be following. Essentially, searchers can create an alert specifically for updates to get an e-mail the moment a followed topic appears on Twitter or other short-form services. Searchers can also manage their e-mail volume by choosing to have alerts sent once a day or week. But analysts aren't sure mainstream searchers will like Google Realtime Search.

"Even though many consumers are interested in breaking news, sports scores, and so on, real-time search today is really for advanced users. And by giving real-time search its own site, Google can both experiment and provide a better experience for real-time search users," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst for Sterling Market Intelligence.

"While they remain on Google.com, the scrolling real-time content in search results was often an awkward thing and a distraction," he added. "But the new site allows those who are interested and know how to use this data Relevant Products/Services to more fully benefit from it without cluttering general search results -- or as frequently."