With Google’s Help You Can Block Specific Search Results — Is This A Good Thing?
I was conducting a Google search for a client while creating her Content Makeover and came across something really interesting. I saw her name in a Google result for what looked like a Mompreneur business site and wanted to check it out. When I did I was taken to a generic holding page. One that you would see if you purchased a domain name but haven’t set up a set yet on it. So that mompreneur site that she was on – was now defunct. But what happened next was even more interesting…
When I returned to the original search results, Google asked me when I scrolled over that same result if I wanted to block this url from further results. Funny thing is – I did! I mean the site no longer exists so there’s no need for me to see it while I’m conducting a search for this client. So I clicked yes – and so this is what I saw:
Then I thought about it again and realized that if I did another search for another client that I wanted to at least be able to see if the search engines were returning results for this site and my client. I need to know if this result was taking up valuable space on page 1 for any of my clients. So I wanted to undo the block. Instead of Undo, I clicked on Manage Blocked Sites just to see what would happen and I saw this site listed as well as the search term I used to get the result. Plus there was this from Google:
If you don’t like a site that appears in your search results, you can block all the pages within that site. Then you won’t see any of those pages when you’re signed in and searching on Google. If you change your mind, you can unblock the site later. Sites will be blocked only for you, but Google may use everyone’s blocking information to improve the ranking of search results overall.
You may block up to 500 sites.
So these are my initial thoughts:
1. I like this feature for my own use, but only temporarily. I don’t want to really ever totally block a site unless it’s pornographic, racist, or violent.
2. I don’t like this feature as a business owner. If my site comes up for a result and another and another — I want the person searching to see that yes I am the totally relevant business for the term you are searching for. You must recognize!! If someone can block me, then I am off their radar. Perhaps for forever because how many people are really going to “manage their blocked sites” or “undo” what they did. Most people are going to forget that they even blocked a site.
FYI – I was logged into one of my Google accounts when I was performing this search but it will ask you if you want it blocked whether you are signed in or not.
Bonus Tip – Not sure who owns this domain at this point since there is no longer a site but there is a holding page — but if this is your niche, this may be a domain name you want to investigate buying or back ordering it over at seodomainhosting.com because it still is returning MAJOR rankings. You can capitalize off of it’s PR ranking and search engine juice by snatching up the name.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this feature from Google?
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