Google and the Internet Archive have announced a partnership that will make it easier for web users to access previous versions of web pages.
From today, Google Search results may feature a new option linking to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, where archived version of the same page will be available.
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This will be helpful if a Google search link now leads to a page that has been removed from the site, for example. Or it could be ideal for accessing earlier versions of webpages that may have featured different information.
Here at Trusted Reviews, for example, we regularly use the same URL for evergreen pages like evolving iPhone rumours, and update the page as the year goes on and more information emerges. This feature will make it easier for web users to access those earlier versions directly from Google Search.
Historic versions of the pages can be accessed by clicking the three dots next to a search result, and selecting “More About This Page” to link to the Wayback Machine.
Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, explains: “The web is aging, and with it, countless URLs now lead to digital ghosts. Businesses fold, governments shift, disasters strike, and content management systems evolve—all erasing swaths of online history. Sometimes, creators themselves hit delete, or bow to political pressure. Enter the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine: for more than 25 years, it’s been preserving snapshots of the public web. This digital time capsule transforms our “now-only” browsing into a journey through internet history. And now, it’s just a click away from Google search results, opening a portal to a fuller, richer web—one that remembers what others have forgotten.”
In a statement to 9to5Google, Google confirmed: “We know that many people, including those in the research community, value being able to see previous versions of webpages when available. That’s why we’ve added links to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to our ‘About this page’ feature, to give people quick context and make this helpful information easily accessible through Search.”
