Chrome ushers in Personal Blocklist to beat ‘search-spam’

Google’s web browser, Chrome, now has a new extension that allows users to block ‘content farms’ and sites with low-quality content.

In a move that is sure to be welcomed by SEO agencies assisting clients with unique and quality content, the free add-on – called Personal Blocklist – is a direct response from Google on a growing issue that has led to recent accusations about the search engine’s declining quality of results (SERPs).

The move by Google could also be seen as a riposte to Blekko, a new search engine that has emphasised its intention of removing ‘search-spam’ from its search engine results pages.

Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s web spam team, wrote on his blog on February 14 that ”if installed, the extension also sends blocked site information to Google, and we will study the resulting feedback and explore using it as a potential ranking signal for our search results.”

However, are there ways that content farms could circumvent Personal Blocklist, given the fact that they have found the means to be conspicuous in Google’s organic listings already? Another drawback for some Chrome users is that Personal Blocklist only allows the results from one website to be blocked at a time.

Even if the extension is a step in the right direction, will Personal Blocklist be a hit in the short-term and lead to fruitful, long-term changes?