Google Search now shows archived web pages with this new feature
Google Search results will now include historical context for links, providing information about recently updated web pages, the company announced Wednesday. The initiative is part of a partnership between the Mountain View-based tech giant and the Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library that archives billions of web pages for future reference. The development builds on the company’s removal of a “cached” link feature in February, which allowed users to view an older version of a web page.
Archived Web Pages on Google Search
In a blog afterThe Internet Archive announced that archived web pages will now appear in Google search results. To access previous versions of links, users must select the three-dot option that appears next to a search result and choose More about this page in the About this result panel. It will appear next to a link to the previous versions of that website with the See previous versions text.
Option to access archived web pages in Google Search
The new feature uses the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which displays the website exactly as it was at an earlier point in time.
In a proposition Google said it “added links to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to our About This Page feature, so people can quickly get context and easily access this useful information through Search.”
Google’s new archived links feature is still rolling out, and users worldwide may see it in the coming days. The feature is available to users in 40 languages. Gadgets 360 staff was able to verify its availability on multiple websites.
While the tech giant previously offered similar functionality with one of its oldest features called “cached” links, it was quietly removed in February. Following the removal, users were able to use the “cache:” operator.[insert URL]”but there was also speculation that this feature would be removed soon. At the time, Google Search Liason said theorized that one of the ways similar functionality could be brought back was via a link to the Wayback Machine. This feature has finally been rolled out.
