Google lets searchers sidestep unwanted websites

"Now there's yet another way to find more of what you want on Google by blocking the sites you don't want to see," Google search quality engineers Amay Champaneria and Beverly Yang said in a blog post.

People who jump back to the Google search results page after checking out a link will have the option of signaling they have no interest in seeing that website suggested in the future.

"Perhaps the result just wasn't quite right, but sometimes you may dislike the site in general, whether it's offensive, pornographic or of generally low quality," the engineers said.

"For times like these, you'll start seeing a new option to block particular domains from your future search results."

A small "block" button was added to options listed with search result links.

Blocked domains are associated with people's Google accounts. Subsequent searches that would have generated the unwanted websites will show instead messages indicating they were blocked.

"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," the engineers said.

The new feature began rolling out Tuesday for English-language versions of Google.com accessed with the latest Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer Web browsing software.

It is to expand soon to other languages and browser software.

(c) 2011 AFP