Google Answer Boxes has jumped up significantly in the Google search results, starting with a 60% jump on September 26th.  Answer boxes now appear for 3.5% of all search queries.

Unfortunately for marketers though, more answer boxes means that it is more likely that searchers will find their information directly on the search results page, rather than clicking through to a website to find the answer.  More convenient for users – so long as the information is accurate – but a huge loss for websites that are affected.

Here is an example of an answer box that shows all the relevant information on the page, meaning a user no longer needs to click on any of the search results.

The actual number of answer boxes is still very small, despite what looks like a pretty dramatic jump, with answer boxes appearing for 3.5% of search queries, up from the 2.5%  it had been at previously, with tiny jumps.  But any time a feature jumps by 60%, you have to consider this is a definite change that Google deliberately made.