Google has just announced a new feature to block websites which users do not wish to appear in future searches. Starting from today people who use the search engine will start to see a new option, "block all results", that means any future searches will not show any items from the desired domain name. "You’ve probably had the experience where you’ve clicked a result and it wasn’t quite what you were looking for," "...whether it’s offensive, pornographic or of generally low quality" states the Google blog.
A user will be presented with the option to block a domain regardless of whether or not they are signed in, however to confirm the action a login to Google accounts in required. Users will be able to select the option to block a site followed with a confirmation message to confirm the request, as well as the option to undo the action. The next time a similar search is carried out, the selected blocks will be displayed using a small message with an option to manage the sites.
Users will also be able to change manage their settings with more detail using a new option within the Search Settings screen. From here new sites will be able to be blocked and existing preferences managed and updated. The blog continues to say, "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."
Google also claim they will be using this information to evaluate the blocks and see how relevant the selected domains will be to future rankings. The new feature is available to all English language searches on Google.com but only if you are using Chrome 9/10, Internet Explorer 8+ or Firefox 3.5+. Other languages and domain extensions are presently being rolled out and will be available soon.