Google has announced a significant addition in the form of a new filter for the results page called "Web." Although the name might seem traditional and unclear, the concept is very simple. Instead of displaying AI-generated answers and promotional content, the new filter allows users to quickly and easily find information by displaying only text links. This filter is very useful for those who prefer to see links that directly lead them to web pages in the search results, without any distractions. Below, we review more details about the filter and how to activate it in the Google search engine on both computers and phones.
A "Web" filter that appears when you search on Google
Initially, the "Web" filter is not new in the literal sense, as it has been present since the early days of the Google search engine and was
the default filter for displaying search results. However, it gradually disappeared until it was removed from the filtering options at the top of the results page, alongside filters for images, videos, news, and shopping. Now, results fall under the "All" category, meaning search results are mixed, including text links, images, videos, maps, etc.
the default filter for displaying search results. However, it gradually disappeared until it was removed from the filtering options at the top of the results page, alongside filters for images, videos, news, and shopping. Now, results fall under the "All" category, meaning search results are mixed, including text links, images, videos, maps, etc.
Recently, with the addition of the new "AI Overviews" feature to the Google search engine to provide concise answers to user queries, Google decided to bring back the "Web" filter to the filtering options.
This filter works by hiding "AI Overviews" summaries and significantly reducing the appearance of promotional content, giving priority to text links to web pages over images and other items in the search results. Google stated, "We added the new filter after hearing from some users that there are times they prefer to see links to web pages only in the search results, such as when they are looking for long text documents, using a device with limited internet access, or those who prefer to view text-based results separately from search features." Now, let's review how to use it.
How to use the "Web" filter on Google?
Just like we use other filters on Google such as images, videos, news, or maps, you can open the famous search engine and type what you want to search for in the search bar, such as "types of wood." If you press Enter directly to conduct the search, you might see ads for furniture stores or quick AI-generated summaries. However, if you click on the "More" ( ⁝ ) button at the top of the results page, then select "Web" and press Enter, the search results will be filtered to show only text links.
However, note that this filter has a slight drawback, as it does not display the AI-generated summaries, which can sometimes be useful when you have limited time or are looking for concise information. Additionally, some useful and brief content, like certain Reddit posts and YouTube videos, might not appear in the search results.
On the other hand, the "Web" filter is praised for bringing relevant and useful results to the audience, increasing the chances of showing websites that provide commendable content worth the effort of production. Of course, Google continues to promote content that generates profit for them.
Ultimately, the use of the "Web" filter depends on the type of content you're searching for and your objective. For example, if you are looking for the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" just to know about them, it might be better not to use this filter, as AI will summarize them for you. However, if you want to learn about intriguing details and the reasons for their inclusion in this list, enable the filter and check out the relevant results for an in-depth read on the topic.
