Improve Google Cloud Search results with Contextual Boost

We’re adding the ability to boost Google Cloud Search results using the Cloud Search Query API for third party data sources. Contextual boost is achieved by defining document specific context at the time of indexing and using the right contextual values at the time of query. Contextual boost is one of the key ways used to enable search personalization. 

Some examples of the contextual attributes you can define are: 

• Location: Certain results can be more relevant to users from a specific location. For example, an employee in Japan might search for “benefits,” and want to receive benefits information specific to their office in Japan 
• Department: Certain results can be more relevant to a user’s department. For example, a member of the Sales team might search for “pitch decks,” and want to discover pitch decks specific to their team 
• Tenure: Certain results can be more relevant to the user’s tenure. For example, a new employee might search for “onboarding documents,” and want to discover documents specific to employee onboarding 

Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 

Context is a critical element in providing highly relevant search results. By providing a wide range of contextual attributes, users will see more tailored results based on inputs such as location, department, and job role. This helps reduce the time spent searching by surfacing more relevant content faster. 

With this launch, we provide support for a wide range of contextual attributes that can be used to personalize the results for the end users. This launch also supports combining contextual attributes for deeper context. Combining attributes helps to further triangulate the right results tailored for a specific end user.

Getting started

Availability

Rollout pace