Google has quietly removed the “related searches” option from the search tools menu within the Google search results page.
When Google launched search options in October 2009, the option for “related searches” appeared on the left-hand side under the “standard view.” The placement of the “related searches” search option has changed over the years, including the whole search filters being moved to the top in November 2012; but, the ability to find related searches remained.
That has ended last week, when Google decided to remove the feature. Google told us that they “weren’t seeing enough usage of this filter to maintain it in the toolbar.” Google did add that it did not completely go away, like always, when it is relevant, Google will show “related searches” directly within the search results, typically at the bottom. Google told us, “we do display related searches at the bottom of the page when they seem relevant enough.”
AJ Kohn first spotted this on his blog and explained how this removes a useful, related keyword tool for many marketers.
Related Topics: Google: User Interface | Google: Web Search
About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land’s News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry’s personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here. See more articles by Barry Schwartz
Connect with the author via: Email | Twitter | Google+ | LinkedIn