The Google app for iOS will convert website text into search links

Google has introduced a new feature in its iOS app called Page Annotation, designed to highlight relevant information while browsing web pages in the integrated browser. According to Google, this tool “extracts interesting entities from the page and highlights them online“. By tapping on them, users are redirected to more related search results.

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The controversy has not been long in coming. Some web media editors criticize that this feature could divert users from their pages to Google searches, making it difficult for them to return to the original content. “As if Google hadn’t taken enough from you already… Now it’s taking users who are on your page to its search engine,” notes Barry Schwartz, news editor of Search Engine Land. “They are likely to never find their way back to your page.”

For editors who do not want this functionality on their pages, Google offers an opt-out form. However, this deactivation may take up to 30 days to apply. “The use of the Page Annotation feature on your page will be deactivated within 30 days after submitting the form. You only need to do it once,” the form details.

Ashwarya, from the support team at Google Search, explained that the feature “allows obtaining additional information about entities such as people, places, or things, directly from the page being visited.” According to Google, the goal is to enrich the user experience without interrupting their navigation, as the content appears in a tray within the app and can be easily closed.

Although the company clarifies that “this new experience allows people to quickly obtain additional context about people, places, or things without leaving the page they are on,” it is unknown how this new feature will affect web metrics such as engagement time or recirculation.

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