Google has begun adding links to archived copies of web pages from the non-profit library Internet Archive, better known as the Wayback Machine, to its search results. This decision is intended to compensate for the disappearance of the usual option to view cached pages from Google search results. Users will have access to more than 860 billion archived web pages, which opens up unprecedented opportunities to study the evolution of Internet resources since 1996.
Image source: web.archive.org
In February of this year, the company made the decision to disable one of its oldest features, browsing cached pages. Google SearchLiaison, Google’s official public relations account for search, commented on the decision: “Yes, the feature has been removed. We know, it’s sad. We’re sad, too. It’s one of our oldest features. But it was designed to help people access pages in the days when you often couldn’t count on the page loading. Things are much better these days.”
As an alternative, Google offers integration with the Wayback Machine, a massive project of the California-based nonprofit Internet Archive. This resource stores more than 860 billion web pages and more than 99 petabytes of data, some of which dates back to the late 1990s. This colossal database allows users not only to find information, but also to trace the evolution of websites over the decades.
To get a taste of web archaeology, users need to click the three dots next to a specific link in the search results, then select “Learn more about this page” to be taken to a link to the corresponding page in the Wayback Machine. However, despite the obvious benefits, the new feature has its limitations. The Wayback Machine cannot provide access to sites whose owners have prohibited archiving or to content that is password-protected. It is also important to note that the process of implementing the new functionality is gradual, so not all users will be able to use it at the same time.
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