Google launches feature to help Africans be more visible during web search

Google has launched People Cards, a mobile-only feature, that helps Africans be more discoverable on Google Search.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company said the new feature — akin to Google Search Knowledge Panel — allows people to create their presence on Google Search in the form of a card that includes all the details they want other people to have about them.

Olamide Balogun, head of consumer apps, Sub Saharan Africa at Google, said the initiative was inspired by the growing need for online presence among individuals.

“Whether they’re content creators, business professionals, or just wanting to stand out from the crowd — having an online presence is important,” he said.

According to him, anyone with a Google account can create a People Card by simply searching for their name and tapping the “add me to Search” prompt.

Balogun said this will lead them through a simple process to add a photo, description, links to social profiles and other information that they’d like others to know about them.

He added that people can report abusive content and impersonation claims through a feedback link directly from the product.

Balogun added that the new feature would also help Africans tell the world about themselves and their environment.

“In the last few years, we have been working with people across the region to better understand how Africans see Search and how we can make it more relevant and work better for the people on the continent,” he added.

“We built this feature for the millions of influencers, content creators, entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, freelancers, or anyone else out there who wants to be discovered.

“A critical part of creating for Africa means building in line with the insights we are seeing from the region. We see that people in Africa want a search tool that reflects their real environment and also supports them to succeed as they go about their everyday hustle which is why the People Card creator is in full control of their information at all times; they choose what they would like to make public and if they would like to remove it.”