Google is now sending clicks on search results through google.com/goto links, and Google confirmed the change in late August 2026. Search Engine Land reports that a click now routes through google.com/goto?url= and a hashed URL before reaching your page, where it used to go straight to the destination. These Google goto links matter to you mainly if you track rankings with third-party tools.
Google says the aim is security. A spokesperson told Search Engine Land: “We have a long history of deploying technical measures against evolving forms of abuse, and we regularly take steps to protect our services and users.”
In short
Google is routing search result clicks through google.com/goto links to fight scraping, so treat third-party rank tracker data with extra care and use Search Console as your baseline.
What changed with Google goto links
According to Search Engine Roundtable, testing began in July 2026 and the rollout was confirmed on 26 August 2026. The links cannot be decoded, so a scraper has to follow each redirect one by one, which is impractical when a results page carries hundreds of links.
Search Engine Roundtable cites Derek Perkins of Nozzle, who observed "nearly a 100% rollout across several residential ip providers". The change appears aimed at scrapers, AI companies and third-party tools that pull data from Google results.
What it means for your SEO reporting
Search Engine Land says visitors see minimal disruption, though the destination URL preview in the browser is affected before clicking. It also says third-party Google Search tracking tools may face data collection challenges, while Search Console data should remain unaffected.
So the risk sits with rank trackers and similar tools. If a tracker shows a sudden gap or drop, do not assume your rankings fell. Check the same period in Search Console before you report it to a client or your boss.
What to do this week
- Open Search Console and note clicks and impressions for the last 90 days as your baseline.
- Compare that baseline with your rank tracker and your analytics organic sessions.
- Ask your tool vendor how they collect results and whether the goto change affects them.
- Add a short note to your next report explaining the change, so odd tracker data has context.
Neither source describes any effect on rankings or on how analytics tools record referrers. If your own analytics shows something unusual, treat it as a question to investigate, not a confirmed effect of this change.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change how my website ranks?
Neither report says it does. Both describe an anti-scraping measure on how links are served in results, not a ranking change.
Will Search Console data change?
Search Engine Land reports that Search Console data should remain unaffected. Treat that as the expectation, and keep comparing it against your other sources.
Do I need to change anything on my website?
Nothing in the reporting suggests site-side changes. The practical work is in how you read your rank tracking and analytics data.
Sources
- Search Engine Land, "Google confirms deploying goto URL redirects to search results links", 26 August 2026.
- Search Engine Roundtable, "Confirmed: Google Search Rolling Out google.com/goto Tracking Parameters", 26 August 2026.
Related guides in this series
- Search Console's new multimodal filter, explained
- Measuring your search visibility in 2026, a quick guide
- Google's September 2026 spam update: what to check during the two week rollout
- Google's AI Overviews now auto-expand, here's what to check this week
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Published: September 2026 | Author: Minh Pham | Drafted with AI, fact-checked and edited by Minh Pham
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