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Google is taking things a step further to rid search results of unwanted domains.
First they retooled their algorithm to penalize content farms like EHow and Associated Content, and now their giving users the power to block domains from search results.
Google released a new feature in attempt to clean up search results on Thursday, according to the Google Blog.
The feature gives users the ability to block websites they don’t want to see in their search results.
When Google launched its Chrome extension last month it had this capability, but the search giant is expanding the feature and making it official.
When you block a domain, it will no longer show up in your search results. You have to be logged into your Google account in order to block sites.
You can see the sites you blocked on a new settings page. Users can access this page through the search settings or clicking on the “Manage blocked sites” link that appears when you block a domain. The settings page will display details about the sites you have blocked. You can also block new sites and unblock sites you’ve changed your mind about.
Google may eventually use the data gathered from blocking sites in it’s search rankings.
Google stated on its blog that they “We’re adding this feature because we believe giving you control over the results you find will provide an even more personalized and enjoyable experience on Google. In addition, 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 new feature is rolling out Thursday and Friday on Google.com for English speaking people using Chrome 9+, IE8+ and Firefox 3.5+.
