When a web crawler indexes a particular webpage, Google search engine cache view shows its previous or cache version. Search engines take webpage screenshots every time they crawl a website. A cache is a webpage’s temporary memory snapshot as it appeared on which date and time the search engine crawled and indexed your page. You can also see more options like choosing to view the full version of the page, the source of your page, or the text-only version. It is an easy way to check whether Google search engines are crawling your website or not.
A search engine cache allows users to access a frequently visited webpage faster by storing commonly used data, eliminating the need to reload it every time. This not only enhances the web browsing experience but also reduces server load, decreases bandwidth usage, and improves SEO.
When Did Google remove the cache view feature?
“Archie” is the first search engine invented in 1990. Search engines have been using the webpage cache view feature, But recently, Google removed the webpage cache view option from the search engine results. On February 1, 2024., Google removed the “Cached” button from its search results, which allowed users to see previous versions of web pages. The button was located in the “About this result” option, which could be accessed by clicking the three dots.
Many webmasters did not know anything about this update. They kept searching for the webpage cache view option in Google search engine results, but they did not find this option anywhere. Finally, they used the following method to view their web page cache.
How do I check the webpage cache history?
Following are the five options to check your webpage caches:
1. Search operator:
Type “cache” followed by the URL in the Google search bar and press enter. You will be able to see your webpage cache. For online users, there are many commands and search operators introduced by Google and other search engines that people can use to search for their website or to make any kind of query.
2. Direct URL
You just need to copy and paste this link in your browser bar: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache: followed by writing down your domain name, and then hit Enter. For example, https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://lighttheminds.com
3. Cache extension
Use extensions like Web Cache Viewer to view cached pages for Google. The Chrome Web Cache Viewer extension allows you to right-click on any link or webpage to see the Google Cache or Wayback Machine versions of that page.
4. Wayback Machine
Your website cache data is also available on the Wayback Archive machine. It shows a website history from 1996 to the current date. It allows users to view past versions of websites. It is exciting to explore the designs of your webpage and other top websites (like Google, Apple, and Yahoo) and how they looked in the past.
5. Google Search Console
To view the cache version with this method, you should have access to Google search consoles for that particular website. If you want to view cached versions of a page, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Webmaster or Search Console. Copy the URL, Paste it in the URL Inspection search box, run the live test, click on the View tested page, and choose snapshot.
I found these methods to see a page cache version. If you have another tip or trick, please share it in the below comments. So other people can take advantage of your suggestion.
