Google no longer provides direct URLs in search results
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Google Search 已开始将自然搜索结果链接的处理方式，从标准 URL 转向名为 google.com/goto 的新格式。 Google 不再在 HTML 中展示直接可读的链接，而是提供一个编码的 URL 参数，作为其内部索引的不可见引用。此更新目前在已登出和隐私浏览会话中持续出现，表明正在向更广泛的实施推进。
这一新机制与旧有的 google.com/url 重定向包装器有本质区别：后者通常包含可直接 URL 编码的目标地址，而 goto 格式下，开发者无法通过离线解码就能获知目标。要解析最终目的地，现在必须检查链接返回的 Location 响应头，而不是单纯跟随重定向。尽管目标 URL 在页面上仍会以可见形式呈现，但这一架构变化使得依赖解析搜索结果页面进行批量数据提取的流程变得更为复杂。
此举的主要动机是 Google 持续打击自动化抓取搜索结果（SERP harvesting）。通过用 goto 重定向替代明文链接，Google 迫使抓取工具为每一条搜索结果向其服务器发起往返请求。这种方式比以前更嘈杂、更慢，同时为 Google 提供了更清晰的遥测数据，便于识别并可能阻断那些顺序解析大量链接的实体。它成为继取消"每页 100 条结果"参数和部署更高级的机器人检测系统之后的又一道防线。
对构建搜索索引或大规模依赖 SERP 数据的组织而言，这一变化要求采取更稳健的集成策略。 Autom 团队已更新其 Google Search 管道，通过自动解析 Location 响应头来处理这些 goto 链接。通过确保其 API 在结构化字段中继续返回最终可用的目标 URL，Autom 让用户无需调整各自的集成。随着 Google 不断迭代其反爬虫基础设施，关注这些模式并保持监控是确保数据交付在目标不断变化时仍能保持一致的关键。
Google Search has begun rolling out a significant change to how it handles organic search result links, transitioning from standard URLs to a new format identified as google.com/goto. Instead of displaying a direct, readable link in the HTML, Google now provides an encoded URL parameter that functions as an opaque reference to their internal index. This update is currently appearing consistently for logged-out and private browsing sessions, signaling a move toward broader implementation.
This new system differs fundamentally from the older google.com/url redirect wrapper, which typically contained a plain, URL-encoded destination. With the goto format, developers cannot simply decode the string offline to uncover the target. To resolve the final destination, one must now inspect the Location header returned by the link, rather than following the redirect itself. While the destination URL is still technically present on the page for display purposes, this architectural shift complicates the process of bulk-extracting data for those who rely on parsing search result pages.
The primary motivation behind this update is Google's ongoing effort to curb automated SERP harvesting. By replacing plaintext links with goto redirects, Google forces scrapers to perform a round-trip request back to their servers for every single search result. This approach is significantly noisier and slower than previous methods, and it provides Google with clearer telemetry to identify and potentially block entities that resolve large volumes of links in sequence. It serves as another layer of friction, joining other defensive measures like the removal of the 100-results-per-page parameter and the implementation of advanced bot detection systems.
For organizations that build search indexes or rely on SERP data at scale, this change necessitates a more robust integration strategy. The Autom team has already updated their Google Search pipeline to handle these goto links by automatically resolving the Location headers. By ensuring that their API continues to return the final, usable destination URLs in structured fields, they have shielded their users from the need to adjust their own integrations. As Google continues to iterate on its anti-scraping infrastructure, the focus remains on monitoring these patterns to ensure consistent data delivery despite shifting goalposts.
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• 搜索已经从直接提供网站内容访问，演变为优先展示答案和 AI 生成内容，这一转变使传统的导航方式变得复杂，并降低了原始来源材料的价值。
• 现代搜索引擎常使用混淆的重定向链接来追踪用户行为，这妨碍用户轻松复制直接 URL，破坏注重隐私的浏览器扩展，并带来额外延迟。
• 个性化和本地化的搜索结果常被视为制造回音室或掩盖内容的手段，这与用户对中立、一致信息检索的需求背道而驰。
• AI 生成或被抓取的内容日益增多，导致网络体验下降，查找特定且可靠的信息变得更加困难，促使一些人转向基于 LLM 的查询界面。
• Google 最近的变革，包括重定向混淆以及移除诸如精确结果数量等功能，被许多人视为为了保护其广告护城河并防止第三方爬取其索引而采取的防御措施。
• Kagi 、 Brave Search 和 SearxNG 等替代品在高级用户中越来越受关注，这些用户优先考虑可控性、无广告体验以及对特定域名加权的能力，尽管这存在潜在的碎片化风险。
• 对大型平台搜索可见性的依赖赋予平台巨大的权力，这一点可从诸如动态电话号码替换等做法中看出，它将企业的生存与平台控制的追踪绑定在一起。
• 对许多人而言，开放网络的侵蚀——表现为质量下降和以 SEO 为导向的内容占主导——表明传统网页搜索的时代正在实际上走向终结，取而代之的是由公司控制的信息把关体系。
• 向不透明的服务器端重定向结构的技术转变，有效阻止了用户端工具恢复直接链接，标志着向封闭、专有浏览生态系统演进的趋势。
• 虽有人认为这些变革是保护知识产权和防止竞争的常规商业做法，但另一些人则认为这是对曾为 Web 决定性特征的开放互操作互联网的背叛。
舆论普遍反映出对现代搜索发展轨迹的深切不满，其特点是透明度降低、侵入式追踪以及结果质量下滑。虽然部分用户认可本地化或按查询优化的增强功能的实用性，但普遍观点是这些功能正被用来巩固垄断并操纵用户行为。因此，社区正在转向付费或以隐私为中心的搜索替代方案，以获得更可预测的体验，尽管这些工具仍属小众。整体情绪显示，网络正向一系列为提高参与度而非便于信息发现而策划内容的封闭花园转型。 • Search has evolved from providing direct access to website content to prioritizing answers and AI-generated content, a shift that complicates traditional navigation and diminishes the value of original source material.
• Modern search engines often use obfuscated redirect links to track user behavior, which prevents users from easily copying direct URLs, breaks privacy-focused browser extensions, and introduces latency into the browsing experience.
• Personalized and localized search results are often perceived as a tool for creating echo chambers or burying content, contrasting with the desire for neutral, consistent information retrieval across different users.
• The increasing use of AI-generated or scraped content is contributing to a degraded web experience where finding specific, reliable information is becoming more difficult, leading some to shift toward LLM-based query interfaces.
• Google's recent changes, including redirect obfuscation and the removal of features like precise result counts, are viewed by many as defensive measures to protect its advertising moat and prevent third-party competitors from scraping its index.
• Alternatives such as Kagi, Brave Search, and SearxNG are gaining traction among power users who prioritize control, ad-free experiences, and the ability to weight specific domains, despite the potential risks of fragmentation.
• Dependence on large platforms for search visibility gives corporations immense power over businesses, as seen through practices like dynamic phone number substitution that ties business viability to platform-controlled tracking.
• For many, the erosion of the open web—characterized by "shittification" and the dominance of SEO-optimized content—suggests that the era of traditional web search is effectively ending in favor of corporate-controlled information gatekeepers.
• The technical shift toward opaque, server-side redirect structures effectively prevents user-side tools from restoring direct links, signaling a trend toward closed, proprietary browsing ecosystems.
• While some argue that these changes are standard business practices for protecting intellectual property and preventing competition, others view them as a betrayal of the open interoperable internet that was once the web's defining feature.
The consensus reflects a profound dissatisfaction with the trajectory of modern search, which is increasingly characterized by reduced transparency, intrusive tracking, and a decline in result quality. While some users acknowledge the utility of localized or query-specific enhancements, there is a widespread belief that these features are being leveraged to entrench monopoly power and manipulate user behavior. As a result, the community is shifting toward paid or privacy-focused search alternatives that offer more predictability, even if those tools remain niche. The overall sentiment suggests that the web is transitioning into a series of walled gardens where content is curated for engagement rather than discovery.