Google is quietly changing how links work on SERPs... and it’s a big deal for the entire SEO & AI industry. 🚨
If you’ve noticed
google.com/goto/?url URLs appearing in Search results recently, Google has officially confirmed it:
They are rolling out tracking/redirect links across SERP.
Instead of directly linking to destination pages, Google is now routing users through an internal redirect layer.
Why is Google doing this NOW?
Officially, Google says: "We regularly take steps to protect our services and users from evolving forms of abuse."
Un-officially? This is a massive strike against automated SERP scraping.
Here is who this impacts immediately:
• Rank tracking & SEO platforms (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, etc.)
• AI companies training models on live Search data
• Custom web scrapers & automated indexing tools
• Data brokers building tools around Google Search
Will this kill SERP scraping completely?
No. Scraping tools will adapt (they always do).
But it clearly shows Google’s growing intent: They want TOTAL control over who accesses Search data and how it’s monetized.
As AI models depend more heavily on real-time web retrieval, Google is building a bigger moat around its ecosystem.
What’s your take on this? Will SEO tool prices go up as scraping becomes more expensive, or will tools easily bypass this redirect layer?
Let’s discuss below! 👇
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