Google Search Is Changing URLs: What Indian Users Need to Know

Google, the world’s leading search engine and a daily go-to resource for everything from basic questions to local services, is preparing to introduce a major change to how users interact with its platform. The tech giant has announced an upcoming modification to its search domain practices, signaling the end of its reliance on country-specific domain names.

Since 2017, Google has operated with country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) like google.ng for Nigeria and google.com.br for Brazil, offering localized results to enhance user experience. However, in a recent update, the company shared its decision to phase out these national domains in favor of a unified domain—Google.com.

According to a blog post by Google, the switch is intended to streamline the search experience globally. While this change will alter the appearance of URLs in users’ browser address bars, Google assures that the core functionality of Search will remain intact. Search behavior and the platform’s compliance with regional laws will also stay unaffected.

The transition is expected to take place gradually over the next several months. During this time, users might be prompted to reconfigure certain search preferences. Nevertheless, Google emphasizes that no major disruptions should occur.

Hindustan Times noted that users may need to re-enter some preferences during the changeover process. This step is part of Google’s broader plan to ensure a smoother, more consistent search experience across the globe.

Though not officially confirmed by Google, this shift may also be a strategic step toward optimizing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the search ecosystem. AI features like AI Overviews have started playing a greater role in how search results are generated and presented.

AI Overviews works by aggregating information from multiple online sources to provide comprehensive answers to user queries. It also attributes its responses by citing relevant sources. Reports from 9To5Google suggest that AI Overviews has recently expanded its list of cited sources. However, some of these additional references link to search result pages rather than standalone websites, raising questions about quality and relevance.

As Google continues to evolve, this domain transition marks a significant step toward a more uniform and possibly AI-enhanced search landscape.