As Google repositions itself for the AI era by incorporating AI-generated summaries in its search results, the company has unveiled a new feature allowing users to filter for text-based links. The newly introduced “Web” filter, accessible at the top of the results page, enables users to isolate text links, similar to how they can currently filter for images, videos, news, or shopping.
This announcement was made on Tuesday via a post on X during Google’s developer conference, Google I/O, where significant updates were presented, including AI-enhanced search results and overviews powered by artificial intelligence.
Google stated that the new “Web” filter could be found at the top of the results page or within the “More” menu, contingent on the user’s query.
The introduction of this feature acknowledges that users sometimes prefer accessing traditional text-based web links — the familiar blue links that often become secondary as Google increasingly offers direct answers through Knowledge Panels or, now, AI-generated summaries.
According to a post from the Google SearchLiaison X account, “We’ve implemented this change after feedback indicating a preference for viewing links to web pages in search results, especially for those seeking in-depth text documents, using devices with limited internet, or those who favor text-based results segregated from other search features. Enjoy!”
Google also specified that on mobile devices, the “Web” filter would be displayed alongside other filters by default, eliminating the need to navigate to the “More” menu. Conversely, on desktop, the filters shown will be tailored to the relevance of the search results.
This feature is set to be available globally today and tomorrow, as confirmed by Google.
The introduction of the “Web” filter may spark discussions, particularly within the SEO community, which has long aimed to optimize their links for prominent placement on Google’s first results page for specific terms. Such SEO optimization has been argued to reduce Google’s utility compared to its early days when the PageRank algorithm was less influenced by search experts.
This move also signifies a shift in how search might evolve, focusing less on merely surfacing website links. The answers users seek could be provided through other content forms or even AI-driven responses, with cited sources for those interested in further details. The impact of these changes on industries dependent on web traffic and visitor metrics remains to be observed.
