Google has announced several updates coming to the address bar in the Chrome web browser, aiming to help users find websites faster.
The improvements will roll out over the next few months on desktop and mobile versions.
What’s Changing?
The address bar is the text field at the top of the Chrome browser window where users enter web addresses like “www.google.com.”
Google is enhancing the Chrome address bar with the following features:
- Suggestions for unlisted sites
- “Smarter” autocomplete suggestions
- Automatic typo corrections
- Bookmark search
- A visually optimized interface.
Google states in a blog post:
“As the days get shorter this fall, you might be looking for ways to maximize your time. Luckily, five improvements are coming to Chrome’s address bar to help you browse even faster.”
Suggestions For Unvisited Sites
Chrome is implementing a new feature to help users find new websites.
As users type search terms into the address bar, Chrome will now suggest popular and relevant sites even if the user has never visited those sites before.
This presents an opportunity for SEO professionals. They can gain more visibility in Chrome’s address bar suggestions by optimizing their sites for popularity and relevance related to certain keywords.
Even if a user has never been to their site, it may now appear as a suggestion thanks to this new feature that promotes the discovery of new content based on what’s currently popular and relevant to the user’s search term.
“Smarter” Autocomplete
Google is rolling out a “smarter” version of autocomplete to Chrome.
Previously, Chrome would only suggest website URLs you typed before. Now, it will autocomplete based on any word, even if the specific URL is new to you.
For example, typing “flights” can autocomplete to Google Flights if you’ve searched flights before.
This “smarter” autocompletion reinforces the use of keywords within your URL structure, as users may rely more on this feature.
Typo Correction
Chrome can now fix typos automatically using your browsing history rather than making you delete and retype a misspelled web address.
This feature is available across devices: desktop, Android, and iOS.
Bookmark Search
You can search your bookmark folders directly in the Chrome address bar by including the folder name.
This works on both desktop and mobile.
Visual Optimizations
Results in Google Chrome’s drop-down menu have been visually redesigned to improve readability and responsiveness when typing.
Google’s announcement reads:
“Thanks to an improved visual layout, the Chrome desktop address bar is now easier to read. It’s also more responsive, so you’ll get even faster results as soon as you start typing.”
In Summary
The autocomplete, typo correction and folder search features are available now. The popular site suggestions and visual updates will roll out over the next few months.
Google hopes these changes will save Chrome users time and minimize frustration when navigating the web.
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