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Google Search Begins Rolling Out google.com/goto Tracking URLs

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TLDR

Google is rolling out google.com/goto as a redirect parameter in search results, apparently to block scraping by third-party tools and AI companies.

Optimixed Overview

Optimixed's original report on this story.

Google is expanding its use of google.com/goto redirect URLs in search results, a passthrough parameter first tested in July 2026 designed to prevent scraping of its search results by third-party tools and AI companies, as reported by SERoundtable. Google has not yet publicly commented on the purpose or rollout details of the goto URL parameter.

Topics:SEO News & Algorithm UpdatesAI & Machine Learning in SEO
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