Google's goto Link Throttling Can Quietly Corrupt Your Rank Data

Is Your Rank Data Storing Google Redirects?

Search Engine Journal's Matt G. Southern reports that SERP data providers DataForSEO and Serper say Google now limits how quickly redirect links on a results page can be followed. When that happens, some rank data may store Google goto URLs in place of the true destination pages. The piece lays out how the throttling works, with waits that grow as more links on the same page are opened, and notes that changing IP addresses or queries does not get around it.

For anyone who relies on URL-level reporting, this is a practical warning. A page missing from a report may still hold a ranking position, with an unresolved redirect where its address should be. The article suggests checking whether stored URLs are Google redirects and asking your provider which collection method they used. SEO leads, analysts and agencies who report landing page performance should read it before drawing conclusions from late October and early November data.