Google has announced updates to its search engine during its Google I/O 2024 developers conference. The company introduced AI Overviews, which provide summarized information about search queries by aggregating data from various internet sources and including links to these sources. This feature is currently available to users in the United States and will be rolled out to more countries in the future.
New “Web” Filter for Direct Links
Acknowledging that some users prefer traditional search results, Google has introduced a new filter named “Web“. This filter is designed to display only text-based links to web pages, similar to existing filters for “Images“, “Video“, and “News“. The “Web” filter can be accessed at the top of the search results page or through the “More” option. The company announced this update via its Google Search Liaison account on X (formerly Twitter).
We've launched a new “Web” filter that shows only text-based links, just like you might filter to show other types of results, such as images or videos. The filter appears on the top of the results page alongside other filters or as part of the “More” option, rolling out today… pic.twitter.com/tIUy9LNCy5
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 14, 2024
Google has added the “Web” filter in response to user feedback. Some users expressed a preference for direct links to web pages, especially when searching for long-form text documents, using devices with limited internet access, or simply preferring text-based results. The “Web” filter is currently being rolled out and is expected to be available worldwide by Wednesday.
AI Overviews and Their Impact on Search
Google's AI-powered Search experience is now rolling out to everyone, and with it, the web will never be the same again. Over time, the original vision of Google Search has changed, incorporating several layers such as shopping results, Knowledge Panels, and Featured Snippets. AI Overviews are being added to the mix, with generative AI being used to summarize search results which, in many cases, will mean you never have to leave Search itself at all.
Google says that AI Overviews, like Knowledge Panels and Featured Snippets, is a new feature of Search and cannot be turned off. AI Overviews will appear on many searches, especially if you ask a question, pushing traditional web links down the page, sometimes entirely out of view.
The new web filter will be rolling out to Google Search globally now and it will be available alongside the rollout of AI Overviews. Google notes that its users find Google Search's additional AI features useful, but is adding this new filter to make it easier to just get links when a user wants to do so.
