Google makes its search results a little easier to understand

If you’re also the type who is reluctant to click on questionable links in your search results, here’s the good news: Google overhaul its native search engine to give us more information about the results we see before we take those risky clicks.

Almost all English search results will receive a new widget meant to reveal a bit of the site it actually leads to. The update will roll out to desktops, mobiles, and the Google app for Android for researchers based in the United States starting today.

When the update arrives, you might notice a new little ellipse in the upper right corner of a given search result. Tapping on it will bring you some basic blurb about the actual site the result ends up in – from Wikipedia when available. The new sign will also tell you if your connection to this site is “securedWhich means it uses the HTTPS protocol. (You can read all about what it is and why it matters Here.)

If the site does not have its own Wikipedia page, Google says it will try to display “extra context” on the site it has on hand, for example when the search giant first indexed the site. What if you are one of the many people who notice ads in Google search look a little too much Just like the actual search results, you’ll be happy to know that these new introductions also tell you whether a given link is an ad or not.

Whether you probably get this update later today or, if you’re outside the US, at an unknown time in the future, it’s a good reminder to always be careful where you click.