Observed Signal · Aug 27, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Google deploys 'goto' redirect URLs
Google has confirmed the rollout of new 'goto' redirect URLs in its search results that insert a google.com/goto redirect between a search result and the target site. The change preserves the click experience for users but masks the destination URL in automated responses and some API outputs, complicating large-scale scraping and automated SERP data collection. SEO practitioners and tracking vendors (Nozzle, DataForSEO tests, and Chefkoch's Head of SEO) report inconsistent behavior across clients and that some search features still expose real target URLs while others only return the masked goto address. The additional redirects increase request volume to Google and may lead to throttling or blocking for heavy automated crawlers, with implications for SEO measurement and AI services that ingest search results.
A technical change from Google that affects how search result links are presented can materially degrade automated SERP data quality, complicate SEO measurement, increase scraping costs, and impact AI services that ingest search results — all relevant to search measurement and ad/marketing intelligence.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Google confirmed the rollout of 'goto' redirect URLs in search results.
- Search Engine Roundtable first observed the change in early July and reported it.
- Nozzle testing (reported by Derek Perkins) found goto URLs on many residential IP connections, with observed shares up to 42% and some areas reaching 100%.
- Chefkoch Head of SEO Hanns Kronenberg tested 1,040 keywords via the DataForSEO SERP API and found differences between API responses and browser sessions; some SERP features only returned the masked google.com/goto address.
- Goto redirects add extra requests and follow-through redirects to reach the final site, increasing load on automated processors and raising the risk of throttling or blocking.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“Google confirmed the roll-out of so-called goto URLs in the search results....”
“Derek Perkins from the SEO rank tracking tool Nozzle reports on X that Google has rolled out the change across several residential IP provid...”
“The article notes the change could be intended to make scraping of search results by AI services like Perplexity more difficult, and that Pe...”
“The site uses the Usercentrics Consent Management Platform to manage consent for embedded third‑party plugins....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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