London, Mar 12: Google has updated its search engine to add a new feature using which users can block websites they don't like.
Search Quality Engineers Amay Champaneria and Beverly Yang wrote on Google Blog, "You've probably had the experience where you've clicked a result and it wasn't quite what you were looking for," reports the Telegraph.
"Perhaps the result just wasn't quite right, but sometimes you may dislike the site in general, whether it's offensive, pornographic or of generally low quality. For times like these, you'll start seeing a new option to block particular domains from your future search results."
"Now when you click a result and then return to Google, you'll find a new link next to "Cached" that reads "Block all example.com results."
Once a domain has been blocked, it won't appear in future results but users will be informed if search results would have contained results that their preferences now mean they have blocked.
Champaneria and Yang said that data about sites getting blocked will not be used to inform more general search results for other users.
They also write, however, that "while we're not currently using the domains people block as a signal in ranking, 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."
The move is seen as an attempt to step up its fight against spam and so-called "content farms", which chase web traffic simply by writing about subjects that are popular search terms.
The new feature is rolling out initially on google.com in English for people using Chrome 9+, IE8+ and Firefox 3.5+.
Search Quality Engineers Amay Champaneria and Beverly Yang wrote on Google Blog, "You've probably had the experience where you've clicked a result and it wasn't quite what you were looking for," reports the Telegraph.
"Perhaps the result just wasn't quite right, but sometimes you may dislike the site in general, whether it's offensive, pornographic or of generally low quality. For times like these, you'll start seeing a new option to block particular domains from your future search results."
"Now when you click a result and then return to Google, you'll find a new link next to "Cached" that reads "Block all example.com results."
Once a domain has been blocked, it won't appear in future results but users will be informed if search results would have contained results that their preferences now mean they have blocked.
Champaneria and Yang said that data about sites getting blocked will not be used to inform more general search results for other users.
They also write, however, that "while we're not currently using the domains people block as a signal in ranking, 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."
The move is seen as an attempt to step up its fight against spam and so-called "content farms", which chase web traffic simply by writing about subjects that are popular search terms.
The new feature is rolling out initially on google.com in English for people using Chrome 9+, IE8+ and Firefox 3.5+.
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