Google's HTTP Referrer Changed

It is popularly said that if Google cannot find it in under a minute, it does not exist. With the changes in its HTTP Referrer, now Google also takes its users to the links of the Search Results in a jiffy. The HTTP referrer sends the source of the click to the Website where the searched link will lead to. The earlier HTTP Referrer of Google required an intermediary redirect page to remove the personal details of a user who is logged in at the time of the search.

This is an important step as otherwise confidential information about the user may land up with the thus visited website. Google now uses the Referrer Meta Tag which instructs compatible browsers to remove the confidential information before going to the clicked location. Since this task is now done by the browser itself, the redirect page is no longer necessary and the user reaches the desired page faster than before. This service is presently not available with the phone browsers like Opera Mini but it can be safely assumed that Google will soon try to bring them into the ambit.

In the case of the users who search without logging in or search from browsers which are not compatible with the Referrer Meta Tag, the searches will be conducted in the manner same as before. This change in HTTP Referrer has not only increased the speed for the user with an account with Google but also enhanced the prospects of Google Chrome as currently it is the only modern browser which supports the Referrer Meta Tag.