In a significant development, Google has officially bid farewell to the links leading to page caches from its search results page, as confirmed by the company's search liaison, Danny Sullivan. The decision to retire this feature stems from the evolution of improved page loading capabilities over the years.
The cache feature, which allowed users to view a webpage as Google sees it, served various purposes, including aiding SEO professionals in debugging sites and monitoring competitors. Additionally, it proved to be a valuable tool for news gathering, enabling reporters to track changes on websites and uncover details that might be intentionally removed. For users facing regional website blocks, Google's cache offered an alternative to a VPN.
Traditionally, accessing a page's cache could be done through the "Cached" button in the "About this result" panel or by appending "cache:" to a URL before searching. However, these options are now fading away gradually.
The removal of Google's cache links began in early December and concluded at the end of January. Danny Sullivan also mentioned that the "cache:" search operator will soon follow suit and be discontinued.
While the discontinuation was recent, signs of the feature's demise were evident in early 2021 when a Google developer relations engineer referred to the cached view as a "basically unmaintained legacy feature."
As for a replacement, Sullivan expressed the hope of adding links to the Internet Archive, allowing users to track webpage changes over time. However, he emphasized that this is not a promise, and discussions with the Internet Archive are required to explore the feasibility of such an addition. The removal of cache links marks the end of an era, signaling a shift in how users access and view historical webpage data.
More: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/2/24058985/google-search-cache-feature-discontinued
