Google now offers web search – and an AI opt-out button
For some, the new “web” button will be the biggest improvement in years.
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This is no joke: Google will now let you search the “web.” It’s currently rolling out “web” searches, and in my initial testing on the computer, it looks like it could be a hugely popular change to Google’s search engine.
The optional setting filters out almost all other pieces of content that Google stuffs into a search results page, leaving you with links and text — and Google confirms to The Verge that it will also block its new AI Overviews.
“Isn’t every search a web search? What is Google Search if not the web itself?” you might rightfully ask.
But independent sites like HouseFresh and Retro Dodo have pointed out how their businesses have been “buried deep under sponsored posts, Quora tips from 2016, best-of lists from large to mid-sized companies, and no fewer than 64 Google Shopping product listings,” as HouseFresh’s diligent consultant Gisele Navarro put it.
Now, with one click, some of these blockers seem to disappear.
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If you search for “best arcade for home,” one of Retro Dodo’s key questions, it won’t be buried again—it shows up on page 1.
HouseFresh still doesn't get priority on page 1for "budget air purifiers" – but it's higher up, and you're no longer bombarded by a staggering number of Google Shopping results as you scroll.
If you search for Wyze cameras, you'll now get a hint about their lax security practices on page 2 instead of page 3.
It’s not certain whether this is an improvement for every search, partly because Google’s sections can be useful, and partly because the company isn’t giving up on self-promotion just because you hit the “web” button. Here, you can see that Google is still prioritizing itself for “Google AR glasses,” and its “Top Stories” is arguably a useful addition.
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Which of these results helps you most to learn about the fires in Maui, Hawaii?
It is not certain:
And when you ask Google who wrote 'The Lord of the Rings,' is there any reason you wouldn't want Google's full chart at your disposal?
Surprisingly, it's an answer that Google isn't going to get wrong.
As for Google’s search results ranking, it seems to be the same regardless of whether you choose “web” or “all.” It still blocks links to YouTube videos or Reddit posts or SEO factories… and I even saw (smaller!) sponsored ads from Amazon and Verkada and Wyze pushing my search results down.
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“Web” is simply a filter that removes Google’s knowledge panels and suggested snippets and Marketplace modules — and also Google’s new AI Overviews, confirms Google spokesperson Ned Adriance. “AI Overviews are a feature in search, like a knowledge panel or a suggested snippet, so they won’t appear when someone uses the “web” for a search.”
It doesn't magically fix some of the issues facing Google's search engine. But it's a giant exit button for people who have been annoyed by some of the company's seemingly self-centered moves, and a way to keep the spirit of the 10 blue links alive even as Google's AI efforts try to leave them behind.
Danny Sullivan, Google's Public Liaison for Search, says he's been asking for something like this for years.
As a next step, Google should promote the button to make it more visible. Right now, the company warns that it may not always appear in the main carousel on desktop — you may need to click “More” first and then select “web.”
Let's hope this works well on other devices (smartphones, tablets, smart TVs) as well, because it's not visible yet.
Source: theverge
