Google Hit Hider by Domain (Search Filter / Block Sites) for Greasemonkey

Script Summary: Block unwanted sites from your Google search results. For Firefox with Greasemonkey. v1.4.9 2012-05-25

Version: 1.4.9

License: CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

What's New in Version 1.4.0:

One-click blocking; updated tabbed management pane. See One-Click Blocking - How to - FAQ for more information.

Version 1.4.1: blocking for video search results; beta version of blocking standard image results (enable beta features on the Home tab). Management pane does not display in iframes.

Version 1.4.4: button to close blocked hit; enhancements to one-click blocking; style options.

Version 1.4.5: added support for new SSL address (on www domain).

Version 1.4.6: updated list of excluded URLs; fixed (for now) wrapping of block button.

Version 1.4.7: added one-click option to block dialog; adapted to changes in Google layout.

Version 1.4.8: minor bug fixes.

Version 1.4.9: minor bug fix and style update.

Easily Hide Unwanted Domains in Google Results (including Instant Search)

Want to filter out some useless, spammy or offensive sites from Google search results? Just click "block" to reduce a site's hits to a one-line notation, or hide it completely. No typing required.

If you like videos, see this screencast for version 1.3.1: Google Hit Hider - Basics. (Please feel free to make a better one!)

Firefox with Greasemonkey: Requires Firefox 3.5 or newer. Tested on Firefox 3.6 / 11, on Windows XP / 7. Limited testing with GoogleMonkeyR and AutoPager. Please report problems in the "Discussions" tab for this script.

Google Chrome: Not natively compatible. Check out Google's Personal Blocklist extension, or you could try running with an extension that adds Greasemonkey features to Chrome (e.g., Tampermonkey, I haven't tested it myself).

Disclaimer: Google search is a very complex application, so there is no guarantee that this script will work for you. The author is not responsible for you missing a result you might have liked to see, or other malfunction of the script. Use at your own risk.

Full Revision History: Refer to CHANGE LOG in Discussions

Click for downloadable/printable PDF version of this page (as of version 1.4.0).

Blocking and Unblocking Sites

After installation, a "block" button should appear next to the title of each result. Screen shot #1:

Click the block button to block results from that site. A small dialog will appear. Simply click Block Site to block the site immediately. In most cases, you also have an extra choice: to block the full site domain, and a domain that will match multiple addresses on that domain (e.g., www., download., etc.). Pick whatever you think will work best for you. Screen shot #2:

After the domain is added to the list, the results should refresh and display a one line notice about that suppressed hit. Screen shot #3:

If you never want to see notices for this site, instead of clicking Block Site, click Perma-ban in the block dialog. Or just click the notice and the result will redisplay on a shaded background. You then can "Unblock" the site or move it to the "Perma-ban" list of sites you never want to see. Screen shot #4 (updated for version 1.4.2 to show close button):

One-click blocking. If you find two clicks to be one click too many, you can turn on one-click blocking on the Home tab of the Management pane.

Managing Script Options

To remove hit notices, or to stop blocking some sites, you can use the management pane. On the right edge of the page when you are displaying search results, look for and click the Manage Hiding button. (You can hide this button if you like. In that case, click any block button to call up the Management Pane.) Screen shot #5:

The management pane has a wide and growing variety of functions. You probably won't need most of them, but just in case:

Eliminate the notices if you don't like them. Restore them if you miss them. (Home Tab)
Move domains between the regular block list and the Perma-ban list. (Block and Perma-ban Tabs)
Remove domains from the lists. (Block and Perma-ban Tabs)
Sort and export lists. (Block and Perma-ban Tabs)
Change the way domains are added to the lists. (Options Tab)
Change the display of various buttons. (Options Tab)
Turn off support for Instant Search, AJAX search or AutoPager to improve performance if you have disabled these features. (Options Tab)

Screen shot #6 (notices displayed):

Clearing (unchecking) the Show notices checkbox removes the suppressed hit notices. The pane stays open while the results are updated so you continue to manage the script. Screen shot #7 (notices hidden):

To move domains between lists or to remove them from the lists, click the domain to cycle through your options. When you're ready to complete your edits, click Save Lists to purge the domains marked for deletion. All changes on both lists are saved at the same time, so you might want to click back and forth between the Block and Perma-ban tabs to review your changes before saving. There is NO undo. Screen shot #8:

The Options tab of the management pane lets you edit some of the script's behaviors and buttons. Screen shots #9, #10, and #11:

In particular:

You can change the way domains are added to the list. By default, they are added at the end. You can add them at the top, or keep the lists sorted alphabetically. Screen shot #12:
You can change the default pre-selected domain in the block dialog. If you are an aggressive blocker and want to block as much as possible from a site, you may want to always pre-select the partial domain. Screen shot #13:
If there are too many buttons for you, you can: remove the Manage Hiding button (call up the management pane by clicking any block button) or remove the block buttons (they will display when you open the management pane).
Turn off full-time monitoring if you have disabled instant/AJAX search and do not use AutoPager.
Change the captions on selected buttons.

List Management Utilities

This feature is still under construction, but some of it is ready now.

Click the List Util button to display additional commands for working with your block list. Screen shot #14:

Export displays a copy of your block list in a form you can copy and paste, so you can back it up, copy it to another computer, or send it to a friend. (Can't guarantee it will pass through a spam filter!). Screen shot #15:
Import attempts to add domains to your block list. So that you can recover from possible list corruption, please use the Export feature to retrieve your current list so you can back it up in a document. Screen shot #16:
Sort alphabetizes your block list. To keep your lists sorted automatically as you add domains, visit the Options tab and adjust the first setting.
De-Duplicate removes unnecessary domains from your block list. Probably most useful after an import, especially if you test by importing a copy of your current list.
Un-www removes the www from the beginnings of domains on your block list so they match all subdomains (e.g., www, blog, etc.). After this, you might want to de-duplicate. Note: In the unlikely event that you have blocked www.com (or www.jp, etc.), the Un-www feature will render those listings useless; if you blocked a domain similar to www.com.mx, then using Un-www may result in other com.mx sites being blocked. Hopefully this can be fixed in a future version.

Problems, Requests, and Miscellaneous

To see whether I am aware of a problem, or to add one, refer to KNOWN ISSUES - WISH LIST in Discussions. Of course, feel free to start a new topic.

This site blocking script was inspired by a request on the discussion forum Eileen's Lounge (see Greasemonkey userscript to hide Google results by domain).

If you don't like this script, two other site blocking scripts have been recently updated as of Fall 2011: Google Domain Blocker and Google Search Filter Plus.

This script now has a specific Privacy Disclosure that supplements the Userscripts.org Privacy Policy.

Discuss this script