Google is testing blue checkmarks in search results to indicate website trustworthiness

Fraudulent advertisements often appear in Google search results, and there are frequent incidents where the artificial intelligence service Gemini tells people to use glue as a pizza topping. As a solution, Google is reportedly testing a blue check mark next to URLs identified as official sites on search results pages.

The Verge found certification badges next to the names of some famous companies in Google search results that link directly to related websites. Amazon, Apple, Epic Games, HP, Meta, and Microsoft were confirmed, but the badges did not appear for everyone, even when the same person logged in with a different account.

The pop-up message says, “This icon appears because signals from Google suggest that this is a real business. “Google cannot guarantee the reliability of this business or product.”

This is a natural expression as it adopts a visual language that is familiar to many users. Although the blue checkmark has become virtually useless since Musk’s takeover, the small blue checkmark icon is still used on social media to signify a “legitimate account.”

But search still needs web-wide automation, and Google doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about pop-up text and accountability. Considering this, it is not yet clear whether it will be applied to more users as a standard feature of Google’s most core products.
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