Google Says There’s No Bug, Older Versions Of Its Search Page Showing Up On Purpose

After more than 200 comments on a Google Search Help Forum thread last week, reporting a glitch that caused an older version of Google’s search page to display in certain browsers, a Google employee claimed there was no glitch at all. According to Googler Nealem, the page was working just fine. The Google employee left […]

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After more than 200 comments on a Google Search Help Forum thread last week, reporting a glitch that caused an older version of Google’s search page to display in certain browsers, a Google employee claimed there was no glitch at all.

According to Googler Nealem, the page was working just fine. The Google employee left the following comment on the thread last Friday:

[blockquote]Thanks for the reports. I want to assure you this isn’t a bug, it’s working as intended.[/blockquote]

She went on to say Google can only provide limited support for outdated browsers, and advised searchers to upgrade their browsers via Google’s WhatBrowser.org.

Apparently, displaying the older version of the search page (as pictured below) in outdated browsers was Google’s way of convincing searchers to update their browser.

Google old homepage

 


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About the author

Amy Gesenhues
Contributor
Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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