Google has been making some changes to the way it displays mobile search results, and users of all stripes will be pleased with how they’re progressing. According to a report from PhoneArena, the company has implemented the use of ‘Rich Cards’ as a means for including thumbnail images alongside text in mobile search results.

Rich cards are currently used for search terms involving recipes and movies – both perfect topics to display images alongside text in an easy-to-read search result. The results offered by rich cards typically include a photograph and a brief description of the image.

Now, the company is branching out and testing rich cards in a variety of other contexts. Analysts expect that the rich cards will be implemented on a much larger scale in the coming months, brining improvements to user experience and beefing up ad revenue for Google.

A blog post on Google’s website explains, “Rich cards are a new Search result format building on the success of rich snippets. Just like rich snippets, rich cards use schema.org structured markup to display content in an even more engaging and visual format, with a focus on providing a better mobile user experience.”

Google says that the technology will make it easier for site owners to stand out in Search results and direct targeted users to their page. Using the example of a recipe website, the post explains that an owner could offer a more visually engaging result for a search term – serving up an appealing photo of a dish alongside the recipe.

The post also offers a number of useful tools for developers who want to start incorporating rich cards in their markups. The move could usher in a new era of interactive search results, engaging users with vibrant visuals alongside the information they seek.

Useful information regarding cards can be found on Google’s website here.