Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source.
Google’s sponsored ads are generally a pain. Not only are they often not relevant to what you’re searching for, they can occasionally be malicious: You might think you’re clicking on a legitimate link for something you’ve searched for, but you’re actually heading somewhere else entirely. Together with all the new AI components Google has introduced in recent years, it’s increasingly tough to get the search results you’re actually looking for.
But there’s some small good news on this front: As initially reported by The Verge, Google’s sponsored ads are getting a little less annoying. Previously, these ads would appear one after another, each within its own “Sponsored” header. Going forward, you’ll only see one “Sponsored” header, with all sponsored links listed below. And the best part? Once you scroll to the end of that content block, you’ll have the option to collapse all those sponsored links, hiding all the ads from your search view.
It’s a small but helpful change for anyone who is tired of dealing with Google’s often frustrating sponsored ads on each and every search they conduct. Google makes much of its money from search ads, so the company will never get rid of them completely. But to give you the option to hide them from view—even if you only see that option after scrolling past all sponsored ads—is a step in the right direction.
What do you think so far?
Of course, if you elect to use an ad blocker, you never need to worry about sponsored ads appearing in search to begin with. Heck, iif you’re already using one, you might never have known about this change in the first place. But ad blockers aren’t for everyone, and they can hurt smaller sites that rely on ad revenue to run, even as they protect you from malicious (and annoying) ads.
If you choose not to use an ad blocker, thanks to these changes, perusing your Google search results can be a little bit better, at least.