14 DAY TRIAL // Google is running an interesting and useful experiment, and one that could tie into its social strategy as well. Some users have started noticing that they get a notification under search results they've visited before, indicating that they've clicked on the result at an earlier date.
They get a message saying "You visited this page on..." along with their Google Profile picture, if they have any. The idea of indicating visited pages is not only not new, it's been a core feature built into web browsers since the web started taking off.
But Google's approach is browser agnostic, meaning that anywhere you'd be signed in you will know if you've visited a particular website or not. The relevance of this for search results is very high.
On the one hand, it could serve as a 'warning' indicating that you've visited the page so you won't click on the link again, if you were not satisfied the first time.
The same is true if were satisfied with the result, it's a great reminder if you can't remember the website you liked, but you know the search term that got you there.
Obviously this only works for logged in users, since the feature is linked to your Search History. Again, obviously, you need to have Search History enabled.
The interesting part is that the notification also displays your Google Profile photo, if you have one. It's similar to how results from social search are distinguished from regular, organic ones, and how +1s from your friends are highlighted.
The feature doesn't rely on any social aspect, since it's based on your visits alone, but Google must want a consistent UI for all personalized search results, based on your past browsing or what your friends like.
One thing is for sure, Google is slowly building small features and changes that will eventually come together as Google's long rumored and somewhat confirmed social ambitions.