SERP Providers Report Throttling of Google Goto Links

SERP data providers say Google is throttling goto links on search results pages, according to Search Engine Journal. The reported restriction could affect how some ranking data records the URLs associated with results: a Google redirect link may be stored where the destination page’s URL would otherwise appear.

The distinction is relevant to marketers who use search ranking data to review which pages appear in Google results. In the scenario described by the providers, the recorded link can point through Google rather than identify the page URL directly. The report concerns how a URL is captured in rank data, not a stated change to a page’s search position.

The available source summary does not explain how the reported throttling works or identify which providers and results are affected. It also does not quantify how often Google redirect links appear in stored data. The providers’ account should therefore be read as a report of a possible data-recording issue, rather than a measurement of its scale.

For teams reviewing ranking reports, the recorded URL and the destination URL are separate details worth checking. A link value in a dataset may be a Google redirect, while the page reached through that link is the destination marketers want to identify. The source does not establish that every result or every dataset is affected.

Marketers can also ask their data provider how its reports represent goto links and whether the displayed value is the destination page URL or a redirect. The source does not describe a particular correction or workaround, so teams should avoid assuming that every provider handles the reported condition in the same way.

What this means for marketers

Check a sample of recorded result links before using them to identify or compare pages in ranking reports. Where a value is a Google redirect, review the destination separately and ask the provider how that value was captured. Keep the distinction in mind when discussing the data internally: the reported issue is about the stored link, not evidence on its own of a ranking change.