Skip to main content

Google upgrades search with user-customized block lists

block_matt_optionEveryone knows by now that Google’s algorithm update had its faults – many of which the search giant has been working to amend. Despite its best intentions, some reputable sources found themselves buried pages beneath their former page ranks due to Google’s attempt to sweep as many content farms and spammy sites into oblivion.

Now Google is introducing another way to get rid of these types of sites. Users can now further customize their results by blocking specific URLs from ever showing up in their searches again. The new feature is available in Chrome 9+, IE8+, and Firefox 3.5+ and is nothing more than a link that appears with search results giving users the ability to block that source from showing up in your future queries. And of course, if you change your mind, there’s a “manage blocked sites” option.

Google also notes that this will not affect user-blocked sites’ page rank, so website operators can breathe a small sigh of relief. We say small because Google notes that “we’ll look at the data and see whether it would be useful as we continue to evaluate and improve our search results in the future.” On the surface and for the time being, this seems like an ideal way for Google to address the types of sites its recent adjustment attempted to: Give the users all the control in the world to rid themselves of unsavory or unsatisfying content without looking like it’s trying to play SEO god. The idea that Google would determine what a “high-quality” site was didn’t sit well, and this new solution coupled with the search engine’s evolving alterations will hopefully restore the content that deserves high rankings and suppress those that don’t. But if Google did begin taking user block lists into account for its own page rankings, what would keep website owners from creating multiple accounts and blocking the hell out of their competitors? We’ll keep an eye on Google’s plans for this feature, and possibly how it will address the possibility of abuse should it affect Google search results on a wider scale.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
I finally upgraded my Google One storage. Here’s why I might never do it again
Google Drive in Chrome on a MacBook.

As a technology journalist and food photography enthusiast, I can collect thousands of images at a rapid pace.

And if you’ve also spent a considerable amount of time online, there’s a good chance you’re connected to some sort of paid cloud storage. For me, that system is Google One. I got sucked in back when Google storage was free, but around 2019, the paid Google One subscription service was established. At $20 per year for 100GB of storage, it was a no-brainer for someone like myself, who stores a ton of data online. But a few years on, I'm in the exact same situation I was before. I need more storage space.

Read more
How to use Google SGE — try out the search generative experience for yourself
Google SGE search tool.

Google's Search Generative Experience, or SGE, is an in-development tool for finding information faster and more readily in Google search. It involves an AI summary of some of the results from your search at the top of the page, letting you get quicker access to the information you're looking for -- at least in theory.

If you're eager to try it out for yourself, here's how to use Google SGE.

Read more
Google’s ChatGPT rival just launched in search. Here’s how to try it
Generative AI in Google Search.

Ever since Microsoft started integrating ChatGPT into Bing search, alarm bells have been ringing at Google. Now, though, the tech giant has started rolling out its own generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool for users as part of its bid to retain its search crown.

In a blog post, the company explains that the new feature (called Search Generative Experience, or SGE) is part of Google’s Search Labs, which lets you test out experimental ideas in Google search and provide feedback to the company. Google says its generative AI will “help you take some of the work out of searching, so you can understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights and get things done more easily.”

Read more