Google Rolls Out New ‘GoTo’ URLs Across Search Results
Google is rolling out a change to the way links work within its organic search results. You may not notice it straight away as the search results look no different but the links Google is showing are changing forever.
Instead of every organic result linking directly to the destination URL, Google is introducing intermediary ‘goto’ URLs. This means that when you hover over a blue link in Google Search, you may see a Google URL beginning with google.com/goto rather than the website URL you were expecting.
The change is being rolled out gradually, so the experience may not appear consistently across every search or user just yet.
Why is Google introducing goto URLs?
Google has confirmed that the change is part of its ongoing efforts to protect its services from evolving forms of abuse. The new system adds an intermediary Google URL before redirecting the user to the actual destination page.
"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." – A Google spokesperson
For everyday search users, the practical difference should be minimal. Clicking the blue link still brings the user to the relevant page. The main difference is what happens between the search results page and that final destination.
The change is potentially more significant for third-party tools and services that collect data from Google’s search results. Many SEO platforms rely on technology that reads or processes links from the SERP to determine which pages are ranking. With Google now placing an intermediary URL in that journey, those providers need to ensure they can resolve the goto link and identify the final destination URL.
For our clients, we have also been speaking directly with our third-party suppliers, like seoClarity and SEMrush. Both have assured us that their reporting capabilities are continuing without disruption, and as of today we are seeing no disruption to service.
SEMrush confirmed:
“The good news is that we’ve confirmed there is no impact on Semrush rank tracking or data accuracy. Our tracking and reporting are continuing to operate as normal.”
What does this mean for Irish brands
For Irish brands, the most noticeable change is likely to be the search experience itself.
If you regularly search for your brand name, products or key services to see how they appear in Google, you may notice a different URL when hovering over your organic result. Instead of immediately seeing your own domain, you could see a google.com/goto URL.
There is no need to be alarmed if this happens. It does not mean your organic result has been replaced, nor does the presence of the Google URL mean that the link is spam or phishing. Clicking the result should redirect you to the destination page Google is displaying.
It is worth clicking through and checking which page Google is serving for important searches, particularly if you are monitoring rankings manually.
Brands using third-party SEO tracking platforms should also keep an eye on their reporting over the coming weeks. The rollout has required search data providers to adapt how they process URLs, and Google’s implementation is still evolving. Data providers are already developing solutions as the change expands across different types of search results.
From our perspective, there has been no disruption to reporting from our PPC or SEO 3rd party reporting partners to date.
Ultimately, this is more of a technical change to how Google handles search-result links than a fundamental change to organic search performance. For most marketers and search users, the biggest adjustment may simply be getting used to seeing a Google URL where they previously expected to see their own.