It’s an experience that’s all-too-familiar with Google users.

After typing in a search term and viewing the results, you click on a site that seems to be relevant to your search – only you’re met with something entirely different.  Whether the site was of an exceptionally low quality, offensive in nature or overstuffed with keywords, accidentally clicking on a site that wasn’t at all relevant to your search has been a frustrating yet ubiquitous part of the online experience.

Until now, that is.

Always one step ahead of its competitors, Google recently announced a new service that promises to give its users “a more personalized and enjoyable experience” by allowing them to block websites from popping up in future search results.  The search engine powerhouse claims that not only will this site-blocking service give users more control over their online experience, but it may become a fundamental tool in helping Google determine which sites are worthy of top ranking for their keywords.  For example, a site that is continually blocked from users’ search results may be penalized by Google’s ranking system and removed from its top-tier ranking altogether. 

“While we’re not currently using the domains people block as a signal in ranking, we’ll look at the data and see whether it would be useful as we continue to evaluate and improve our search results in the future,” writes Amay Champaneria and Beverly Yang on Google Blog. 

It’s a move that has online surfers cheering – and online marketers scrambling to learn more about the latest addition to Google’s rigid SEO ranking factors.

So how exactly does Google’s new site blocking service work? Take a look at the following features:

• After clicking through to a website and discovering that it wasn’t relevant to the search, users should hit the back button to return to the search results page.   Once there, users will see that there is a new link next to the “Cached” link, entitled “Block all [websitename.com] results.” 
• When a user clicks through the “Block all [websitename.com] results” link, Google will then post a confirmation message.  If the link was hit accidentally (or the user is still undecided), the confirmation message will contain a link to undo the action.
• While Google allows all online users to block sites from their search results, the individual will have to log onto their Google Account for the settings to be saved.  Otherwise, the website will appear in a future search. 
• Once the changes have been saved to the Google Account, futures searches with the same keyword will indicate that some sites have been blocked from the results page.   That way, should you wish to change your preferences, you can do so right then and there.
• Want to make any changes to your blocked sites?  Google has introduced a new Settings Page, which a user can access through the “Block all [websitename.com] results” or under their Search Settings.  Here you’ll find that you can unblock any sites, block new sites or just take a general overview of the blocked sites. 

While this user-generated experience means more control over the online world, Google’s latest innovation has online marketers asking one urgent question:

How will this affect SEO rankings?

The official answer is that it won’t – for now.  But given Google’s adherence to rigid SEO ranking systems, website owners shouldn’t be surprised if they have a new SEO factor to cater to.  To stay ahead of the curve, we recommend that web owners:

• Continue to provide their readers with compelling and informative content.  Remember, this new service is entirely user-generated – and if your readers aren’t finding what they’re looking for on your site, they’ll be quick to let you know.
• Update their sites often.  Online marketers, bloggers and website owners alike know that the average online reader has a lightning-fast attention span; fail to cater to it, and you could see your SEO rankings suffer as a result.
• Avoid keyword stuffing.  This is a no-brainer for 99% of website owners; however, if you’re sacrificing natural content for keywords in an effort to gain a better Google ranking, you risk angering your visitors.  If you’re having trouble with optimizing your web content, consider hiring a freelance writer to help you find the perfect balance between writing for search engines and writing for readers. 
• Get regular feedback from your most loyal clients.  What do they think of your website?  Do they have any suggestions for making it more user-friendly?  Remember, Google has specifically designed this service for the average online surfer – so it pays to get feedback from their target audience!

According to Google Blog, the new service was launched March 11^th and 12^th on Google.com in English for people using Chrome 9+, Internet Explorer 8+ and Firefox 3.5+.  Other browsers and countries will see Google’s new website blocking service within the coming months.