Google is making its search results a little easier to understand

Illustration for the article titled Googles, making search results a little easier to understand

Photograph: Alastair Pike (Getty Images)

If you are also the type of person who is afraid to click questionable links in their search results, here is some good news: remodeling your native search engine to provide us with more information about the results we see before we receive these risky clicks.

Almost all search results in English will receive a new widget designed to spread the word about the site it actually takes to. The update will be released on computers, mobile devices and the Google Android app for users looking in the United States starting today.

When the update arrives, you may notice a new small ellipse in the upper right corner of a given search result. Touching this will bring up a basic synopsis about the actual website the result leads to – originated from Wikipedia, when available. The new panel will also tell you if your connection to this website is “safe, ”Which means it uses the HTTPS protocol. (You can read all about what it is and why it is important On here.)

Illustration for the article titled Googles, making search results a little easier to understand

Graphic: Google

If the site does not have its own Wikipedia page, Google says it will try to show “additional context” about the available site, such as when the search giant first indexed the website. And if you are one of many, many people who feel ads on Google search it seems a little too much Just like real search results, you’ll be happy to know that these new synopses also tell you whether a particular link is an ad or not.

If you are likely to receive this update later today or, if you are outside the US, at some unknown time in the future, this is a good reminder to always be careful where you click.

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