Recently Google has dropped the ability for users to filter search results by changing the location in which the search is made. Previously users were able to select the option “Search Tools” and set a different location, this would generate search results as if you were in that location.
This filter option was useful for SEO and Webmasters because it would allow them to understand what people are receiving as search results in different locations. Another benefit would be for those who travel frequently and would like to receive geo-specific search results in locations that they would eventually travel to before arriving at that location.
The “Search Tools” feature is still available in Google’s menu options but is now limited to “Any Time” and “All Results.” What is being left out is the option for “Any Country.”
It is clear that the removal of the location filter option was intended by Google and not a bug. The rollout of this change was first reported two weeks ago, but it seems that the change to the location setting is now fully rolled out.
This is not the first time that Google has removed a search filter option. Over the past 2 years, Google has shown a tendency to remove search filters due to lack of use. Another theory is that Google has chosen to remove this search filter in an attempt to make it harder for anyone to mimic search results for anyone outside of the US. This is a direct result of the Right to be Forgotten Law, Which ensures that European users do not see US Results that may not have been removed from US results