Google has released an extension for its Chrome browser that allows users to remove domain names from search results.
The extension is a type of crowdsourcing, with Google is using it to collect data.
When you block a site Google receives that information and could use that data to update its search algorithm.
Google software engineer Matt Cutts wrote in a blog post that one of the purposes of the extension is to detect content farms.
“We’ve been exploring different algorithms to detect content farms, which are sites with shallow or low-quality content,” he said. “One of the signals we’re exploring is explicit feedback from users.”
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
