Google is now inserting what looks like links into web pages in Google App’s browser that take users to the search result page.
As first spotted by Search Engine Roundtable, Google has introduced a new feature called Page Annotation for the iOS version of Google App. The feature highlights topics that you may find interesting and to an unsuspecting user, the highlights may look like links.
Page Annotations feature for iOS Google App. | Image Credit – Google
This could be infuriating if you are a website owner, as, essentially, Google is redirecting your users to its search results for the highlighted term.
Google, however, insists that this is just a new way to provide additional information to users about the topics they are interested in. The company also notes that it’s not adding links to pages. Instead, the highlighted entities will lead to the app tray if a user clicks on them, letting them get additional context about people, places, or things without having to leave the website they are on.
Of course, there is no stopping a site visitor from clicking on a link on the app tray and ending up on another website.
Since no website owner wants visitors taken away, Google is letting them opt out of the feature by submitting a form. But it can be up to 30 days before the Page Annotation feature is disabled on your website.
Words, topics, products, places, celebrity names, and other entities that are mentioned in a page might be highlighted as clickable annotations in the Google App browser for iOS. By clicking the annotation, the user will be navigated to the search page with the results for this annotation. Site owners can choose to opt out of this annotation feature by submitting the opt-out form. The Page Annotation feature triggered on your site will be disabled within 30 days after submitting the opt-out form. You only need to do this once.
Google Search Central
Even if you don’t run a website, you may find the feature irritating as it will litter websites you are visiting with links highlights. On the other hand, it can be convenient for those who appreciate contextual information but don’t like opening a new tab for firing up a search for every new or interesting term, or entity as Google likes to call it, they come across.
Either way, it’s good to know that Google is at least letting website owners decide if they want the feature to remain enabled on their websites.
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