Removal of Google Cached Pages: Impact and Alternatives

What Were Google Cached Pages?

Google cached pages were Google’s records of however pages looked erstwhile they were past indexed.

You could entree a cached leafage by doing a Google hunt for the page’s URL. And clicking the 3 vertical dots adjacent to its hunt effect connected the hunt motor results leafage (SERP).

An “About this result” sheet providing much accusation astir the leafage would appear. You could past click the panel’s “Cached” nexus button:

And Google would amusement you its cached mentation of the leafage arsenic of a definite day and time.

You could besides entree Google’s cached mentation of a leafage by adding “cache:” earlier the page’s URL successful your browser code bar.

Like so:

In February 2024, Google confirmed its removal of the “Cached” nexus fastener from its hunt results’ “About this result” panels. As a result, users tin nary longer entree Google’s cached pages from its SERPs.

Adding “cache:” earlier the page’s URL successful your code barroom inactive works. But Google volition besides beryllium disabling this diagnostic soon.

Why did Google cache pages? Why is it removing entree to them now? And what alternatives bash you have, successful airy of this change?

Let’s find out.

The Rationale for Google Caching

Google’s “cached” diagnostic was much than 20 years old.

Here’s however the Google SERP looked connected Dec. 3, 2000, for example. Check retired the “Cached” nexus for each hunt result:

And implicit these past 20-plus years, the diagnostic played an important role.

Why Did Google Cache Pages astatine All?

Google cached pages to assistance users presumption unavailable webpages.

These pages could beryllium unavailable owed to reasons like:

• The website’s server was down
• The website’s server was overloaded with traffic
• The leafage was taking excessively agelong to load

So, if a idiosyncratic couldn’t entree a leafage itself, they could presumption Google’s cached leafage instead. And get the accusation they wanted.

The Importance of Google Cached Pages to Website Owners

Google cached pages chiefly for users’ benefit. But website owners could besides usage the cached pages to cheque whether Google had indexed their pages correctly.

When Google indexes a page, it saves a transcript of the leafage successful its hunt results database, oregon index—which is not publically accessible. It besides saved different transcript of the leafage successful its cache—which was publically accessible.

Due to limitations successful Google’s caching abilities, Google’s cached mentation of a leafage whitethorn not person been identical to the mentation of the leafage successful Google’s index. But it was inactive a bully approximation.

So, adjacent though website owners couldn’t—and inactive can’t—check however their leafage looks successful Google’s index, they could inactive cheque however it looked successful Google’s cache. Doing this, they’d get guidance connected however the hunt motor saw their leafage erstwhile indexing it.

If Google’s cached mentation of the leafage looked importantly antithetic from what the website proprietor intended, its indexed counterpart mightiness not beryllium what they intended, either.

The website proprietor could past instrumentality enactment to amended their page. And person Google reindex it aft that.

That way, Google would update the mentation of the leafage successful its index, and show that updated leafage successful effect to applicable hunt queries.

The Discontinuation of Access to Google Cached Pages

Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan confirmed successful an X (formerly Twitter) post connected February 2, 2024, that the hunt motor had removed the “Cached” links from its SERPs:

In the post, Sullivan explained that Google primitively provided the diagnostic much than 20 years agone to assistance users entree pages.

At that time, website exertion was much primitive. And net speeds were slower.

The result?

Websites didn’t ever load reliably.

But exertion has improved implicit the years. Now, Google believes users look less issues trying to sojourn websites.

So, it decided to discontinue its “Cached” links. It volition besides “in the adjacent future” forestall users from utilizing the “cache:” method to entree its cached pages.

Impact of Discontinuing Access to Google Cached Pages

Google’s determination to region entree to its cached pages volition impact assorted stakeholders:

Users

Users won't beryllium capable to usage Google’s “cached” diagnostic to:

• View unavailable pages. They can’t click the page’s “Cached” nexus connected the Google SERP to entree its cached version.
• Bypass nonfiction paywalls. Users could antecedently usage the cached pages to work definite paywalled articles for free. But not anymore.

SEO Professionals

SEO professionals whitethorn brushwood much difficulty:

• Checking whether Google has appropriately indexed their page
• Checking erstwhile Google past indexed their page. They tin nary longer get this accusation by referring to the cached version’s timestamp.
• Conducting rival research. E.g., comparing a competitor’s unrecorded leafage with its cached mentation to place changes to its content. Especially if the competitor’s leafage had precocious gotten a large rankings boost.
• Identifying deceptive cloaking activity. A website proprietor whitethorn person fixed hunt engines 1 mentation of a leafage to scale and fertile and utilized redirects to amusement users a importantly antithetic page. If so, Google’s cached mentation of the leafage could uncover the deception by revealing what the hunt motor saw erstwhile indexing it.

Web Developers

Web developers volition request alternate tools for:

• Recovering mislaid content. This could beryllium contented from a leafage that had gone down. Or contented that they’d forgotten to backmost up earlier updating the page. Either way, they could person accessed Google’s cached mentation of the page—assuming it inactive contained the required content—to retrieve what had been lost.
• Troubleshooting website code. Web developers could usage Google’s cached pages to cheque however the hunt motor rendered their webpages. Differences betwixt the rendered and intended pages’ appearances could bespeak codification errors. Even if the website looked “normal” to users.

Alternatives to Google Cached Pages

Google’s “cached” diagnostic isn’t the lone enactment for viewing past versions of pages. Here are immoderate alternatives.

URL Inspection Tool

The URL Inspection Tool is simply a Google Search Console (GSC) instrumentality for getting accusation connected your website’s Google-indexed pages. This accusation includes:

• The day and clip Google past crawled (i.e., visited) the page
• Whether Google could scale the page
• How Google saw the leafage erstwhile indexing it

The URL Inspection Tool provides much close insights into however Google has indexed a leafage than Google’s cached pages.

That’s due to the fact that dissimilar Google’s caching features, the URL Inspection Tool doesn’t person occupation processing JavaScript code. So, it tin much accurately amusement however Google sees your indexed page—especially if its quality is influenced by JavaScript.

To usage the URL Inspection Tool connected your pages, log successful to GSC. (Set up GSC connected your website archetypal if you haven’t already.)

There’s a hunt barroom astatine the apical of each GSC screen. Type—or transcript and paste—the URL of the leafage you privation to check.

Then, property “Enter” oregon “Return” connected your keyboard.

Google volition retrieve information connected your leafage from its index. If it has indexed your page, you’ll spot the connection “URL is connected Google.”

Click “View crawled page” to spot the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) Google has detected connected your page.

Alternatively, click the “Page indexing” drop-down paper to larn the day and clip Google past crawled your page.

To presumption however Google sees your page, click “Test unrecorded URL.”

Google volition trial your page’s URL successful existent time. When the trial is complete, click “View tested page” > “Screenshot.” You’ll spot a conception of your page’s existent quality to Google.

The URL Inspection Tool’s results for indexed and unrecorded URLs whitethorn disagree if your leafage has changed since Google’s past indexing of it.

Let’s accidental you antecedently added the “noindex” tag to your leafage to forestall Google from indexing it. But you precocious removed this tag to marque your leafage indexable.

If Google hasn’t recrawled your leafage aft this removal, it won’t person detected the change. So, the URL Inspection Tool volition inactive study your page’s “Page indexing” presumption arsenic being “Page is not indexed: URL is chartless to Google”:

But erstwhile you live-test your page’s URL, the instrumentality volition study your page’s “Page availability” presumption arsenic “Page tin beryllium indexed” instead.

Rich Results Test Tool

Developed by Google, the Rich Results Test instrumentality lets you live-test a leafage for rich results—special contented that helps it basal retired connected the SERP. In the process, the instrumentality tin supply details like:

• The day and clip Google past crawled the page
• Whether Google could crawl the page
• How Google saw the leafage erstwhile crawling it

The URL Inspection Tool offers akin information. But the Rich Results Test instrumentality differs successful these ways:

• The Rich Results Test instrumentality crawls pages’ unrecorded URLs successful existent time. Unlike the URL Inspection Tool, it can’t retrieve existing leafage information from Google’s index.
• You tin cheque immoderate leafage URL utilizing the Rich Results Test tool. The URL Inspection Tool limits you to checking the leafage URLs of websites you person admin entree to.

Use the Rich Results Test instrumentality by navigating to search.google.com/test/rich-results. Type—or transcript and paste—the URL you privation to trial into the hunt bar.

Then, click “Test URL.”

Under “Details,” you’ll see:

• Google’s crawl presumption for the page, e.g., “Crawled successfully” oregon “Crawl failed”
• The day and clip of the (un)successful crawl

To presumption however Google saw your leafage portion crawling it, click “View tested page.”

A sheet volition look connected the right. Its “HTML” tab shows you the HTML Google detected connected the page:

Click the “Screenshot” tab to presumption a conception of your page’s existent quality to Google.

Other Search Engines’ Caches

While Google whitethorn person disabled entree to its cached pages, different hunt engines besides cache pages. And proceed to let entree to them.

These hunt engines see Bing and Yahoo!.

Here’s however to entree a cached mentation of a leafage successful Bing, for example. You’ll find the process acquainted if you cognize however to presumption Google cached pages:

Navigate to Bing. Type—or transcript and paste—the page’s URL into the hunt bar.

Locate the page’s hunt effect connected Bing’s SERP and click the downward-pointing arrow adjacent to the page’s URL.

Then, click “Cached.”

You’ll spot Bing’s cached mentation of the page. And accusation connected the day connected which Bing created it.

Wayback Machine

Owned by Internet Archive, Wayback Machine is an online database of pages arsenic they appeared connected antithetic dates.

It serves arsenic a humanities archive of the internet, allowing users to cheque however pages looked connected assorted dates. And way the changes to them implicit time.

In contrast, the caches of hunt engines (Google oregon otherwise) connection lone 1 past mentation of a page—the page’s quality erstwhile they past cached it.

To usage Wayback Machine, navigate to web.archive.org. Type—or transcript and paste—a page’s URL into the hunt bar.

Hit “Enter” oregon “Return” connected your keyboard to tally the search.

If Wayback Machine has archived the leafage astatine slightest once, it’ll archer you erstwhile it archetypal did so. And however galore copies of the leafage it’s saved since then. Click immoderate twelvemonth successful the timeline and the calendar volition show the dates connected which snapshots are disposable for that year.

It volition besides show a calendar with colored circles to bespeak the dates connected which it has saved astatine slightest 1 copy—or “snapshot”—of the page.

Hover your cursor implicit immoderate highlighted day to presumption a database of timecodes astatine which Wayback Machine snapshotted the leafage that day.

Click immoderate timecode connected the database to presumption its associated snapshot.

Best Practices for Webmasters successful a Post-Google-Cache Era

If you tally oregon support a website, instrumentality these steps to mitigate the nonaccomplishment of Google’s cached pages:

View Pages Using URL Inspection Tools

Instead of searching for cached pages connected Google to larn however the hunt motor saw your pages erstwhile indexing them, usage alternate tools similar the URL Inspection Tool and Rich Results Test tool.

As mentioned earlier, these tools tin supply much close insights into however Google has indexed your pages.

And, conscionable similar Google’s “cached” feature, you don’t request to link your website to immoderate peculiar level to usage the Rich Results Test tool.

Ensure Your Website Loads Reliably (and Quickly)

As users present person 1 less workaround for browsing unavailable oregon dilatory webpages, it’s adjacent much important that your website loads rapidly and reliably.

Technical issues, similar an overly precocious HTTP petition count, tin dilatory down a page’s load speed. While others, similar 404 errors, tin forestall it from loading astatine all. Use a instrumentality similar Semrush’s Site Audit to observe and hole these issues, and docket regular checks to support them astatine bay.

To usage Site Audit, log successful to your Semrush relationship and click “SEO” > “Site Audit” successful the near sidebar.

Click “+ Create project.”

Fill retired your website’s domain (or subdomain) and an optional task sanction successful the “Create project” model that appears. Then, click “Create project.”

Site Audit volition cheque your domain and its subdomains by default. If you don’t request it to cheque your subdomains, click the pencil icon adjacent to the “Crawl scope” setting.

Uncheck the “Crawl each subdomains of [domain]” checkbox, and past click “Save changes.”

Next, usage the “Limit of checked pages” mounting to acceptable up the fig of pages Site Audit should cheque each clip it runs. For example, acceptable the bounds to “100” if you privation to trial the instrumentality earlier moving it connected each your webpages.

Leave the “Crawl source” mounting arsenic “Website” to person Site Audit cheque your full website.

By default, Site Audit volition email you to fto you cognize erstwhile it has finished checking your website. If you don’t request this notification, uncheck the “Send an email each clip an audit is complete.” checkbox.

Optional: Use the tabs numbered 2 to six connected the near to set settings like:

• The URLs Site Audit should (or should not) check
• The URL parameters the instrumentality should ignore

Click “Start Site Audit” erstwhile you’re done.

Site Audit volition scan your website for issues. After it has finished its checks, click your (sub)domain successful your database of projects to presumption the afloat report.

Click the “Issues” tab.

You’ll get a database of:

• Errors: The astir superior issues that request urgent fixing
• Warnings: Issues that aren’t arsenic superior but whitethorn inactive merit attention
• Notices: The slightest superior issues that you whitethorn see fixing

Site Audit tin observe implicit 140 method issues successful all. In particular, look retired for these errors. They whitethorn interaction your website’s loading quality and speed:

• “# pages returned 4XX presumption code”: These pages person a 4XX error—like a 404 error—preventing users from accessing them
• “# pages couldn’t beryllium crawled (DNS solution issues)”: These pages person Domain Name System (DNS) errors that forestall Site Audit from accessing the server connected which they’re hosted. In this case, users apt can’t presumption them either
• “# pages person dilatory load speed”: These pages instrumentality a agelong clip to load

Click the hyperlinked “# pages” substance for immoderate of these errors to spot the pages experiencing them.

For example, here’s what you’ll spot erstwhile you click to presumption the pages that returned 4XX presumption codes:

Then, code the detected issues. Click the “Why and however to hole it” substance adjacent to each mistake to get guidance connected fixing it.

These articles whitethorn besides beryllium useful:

• How to Fix Your Website’s 404 Errors
• 5 Ways to Improve Your Page Speed

If successful doubt, interaction a web developer for help.

Site Audit tin besides scan your website regularly. So you enactment connected apical of immoderate caller issues that harvest up.

Click the cogwheel icon astatine the apical of the Site Audit report. Scroll down the database of settings nether “Site Audit settings” and click “Schedule: Weekly, Every Tuesday,” (or immoderate time it is you're looking astatine this report).

Choose whether Site Audit should scan your website daily, weekly, oregon monthly. Then, click “Save” to acceptable up your automatic scan schedule.

The Future of Web Content Preservation

With the discontinuation of Google’s “cached” feature, net archival platforms similar Wayback Machine whitethorn play a larger relation successful preserving a humanities grounds of the web.

Why?

Because these platforms papers changes to a page’s contented implicit time. Unlike different hunt engines’ caches, which lone fto users presumption the latest mentation of a cached page.

Wayback Machine stands to go an adjacent much salient archival work if it gets an authoritative tie-up with Google.

Although helium makes nary promises astatine this time, Google’s Danny Sullivan has expressed interest successful replacing the hunt engine’s cached links with links to Wayback Machine:

Personally, I anticipation that possibly we'll adhd links to [Wayback Machine] from wherever we had the cache nexus before, wrong About This Result. It's specified an astonishing resource. For the accusation literacy extremity of About The Result, I deliberation it would besides beryllium a bully acceptable -- allowing radical to easy spot however a leafage changed implicit time. No promises. We person to speech to them, spot however it each mightiness spell -- involves radical good beyond me. But I deliberation it would beryllium bully each around.

How to Prevent Caching

Although Google’s “cached” diagnostic is going away, different platforms similar Bing and Wayback Machine whitethorn inactive cache your pages.

Try these options if you don’t privation them to.

Use the ‘Noarchive’ Meta Robots Tag

The “noarchive” meta robots tag is simply a codification snippet you tin adhd to a leafage to archer a level not to cache it. As a result, users won’t beryllium capable to entree a cached mentation of the page.

The tag looks similar this:

<meta name="robots" content="noarchive">

Add this tag to the <head> conception of each leafage you privation to support retired of others’ caches. Like so:

Submit a Request Not to Be Cached

Some platforms supply a ceremonial process for opting retired of their cache. If so, travel it adjacent if you’ve already added the “noarchive” tag to your pages.

That’s due to the fact that the level whitethorn not cheque for the “noarchive” tag erstwhile caching your pages. Alternatively, it whitethorn exclude your pages from its cache lone erstwhile you marque a ceremonial request.

To petition that Wayback Machine doesn’t cache your pages, for example, nonstop an email to [email protected] with accusation like:

• The leafage URL(s) you don’t privation Wayback Machine to cache
• The play for which the level shouldn’t cache your pages

Wayback Machine volition reappraisal your petition and determine whether to hold to it.

No Google Cached Pages? No Problem

Even though we person to accidental goodbye to Google’s cached pages, determination are alternatives for its assorted functions.

For example, there’s the URL Inspection Tool and Rich Results Test instrumentality if you privation to cheque however Google saw your pages erstwhile indexing them.

And if users person occupation loading your page, they tin cheque its cached mentation successful different hunt engines’ caches oregon connected Wayback Machine.

That said, it’s champion if users tin reliably entree your website successful the archetypal place.

Semrush’s Site Audit provides monitoring of your website for method issues. So you go alert of—and tin promptly fix—those that support users from accessing your website.

Try Site Audit by signing up for a free Semrush account.