Google Search users will have access to 860 billion archived web pages through the Wayback Machine

Google has begun adding links to archived copies of web pages from the nonprofit Internet Archive library, better known as the Wayback Machine, into its search results. This decision is intended to compensate for the disappearance of the usual option of viewing cached pages from Google search results. Users will have access to more than 860 billion archived web pages, providing unprecedented opportunities to study the evolution of Internet resources since 1996.

Image source: web.archive.org

In February of this year, the company decided to disable one of its oldest cached page browsing features. Google SearchLiaison, Google’s official search PR account, commented on the decision: “Yes, the feature has been removed. We know it’s sad. We are sad too. This is one of our oldest features. But it was intended to help people access pages at a time when a page often couldn’t be counted on to load. These days the situation has improved significantly.”

As an alternative, Google offers integration with the Wayback Machine, a large-scale project of the California-based non-profit 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 feel like web archaeologists, users need to click on the three dots next to a specific link in the SERP, and then select “Read more about this page” to be taken to a link to the corresponding page in the Wayback Machine. However, despite the obvious advantages, the new feature has its limitations. The Wayback Machine cannot provide access to sites whose owners have disabled archiving or to password-protected content. It is also important to note that the process of implementing new functionality occurs gradually, so not all users will be able to use it at the same time.