Google News adds related searches

Google has updated the way in which it presents news content to include related searches.

When a search is conducted through the Google News section of the website, it now presents a further list of potentially relevant searches.

For example, when an individual types in "oil", it offers search options such as "crude oil inventories" and "gasoline prices".

Google is hopeful that this development could refine the ways in which people use its news tool.

A post on its news blog stated: "We think that this feature can be useful not just for adjusting and refining your search but also as an interesting way to browse the news, perhaps finding connections between stories that you hadn't seen."

However, industry commentator Nathania Johnson, writing for the Search Engine Watch blog, suggested that Google News has simply copied the related search feature built in to Microsoft's Live Search.

She remarked that it is unusual to see Google trying to catch up with Microsoft innovations as it is usually the other way around.