The Google app for iOS can automatically convert some text on a website into links to Google Search results, as announced in a community post that SER Round Table stained.
Google call the function “Page Annotations” and says it “extracts interesting entities from the web page and highlights them inline”, which can then land you in search results when you tap on them, inserting links without explicitly asking the user or site owner first . It seems a curious move for a company embroiled in antitrust fights over its search and advertising businesses.
Google has a shape for web publishers to opt out of receiving links. According to the form, “the page annotation feature enabled on your site will be disabled within 30 days” of filling it out. Those who do so must enter all variations of their site, including “www and non-www, http and https, and subdomains.”
As 9to5Google points outThis feature is similar to the “advertising intents” that Google inserted to its AdSense platform earlier this year, in that it automatically places links that display “relevant organic search results with ads” in website text. The difference, however, is that site owners must accept the intentions of the ads, rather than opting out.
