Google has introduced new restrictions on resolving GoTo URLs into direct destination URLs in SERP results. Below, we explain what’s changed and how it affects the Google Organic SERP API.
Background
At the end of August, Google introduced google.com/goto passthrough URLs in its search results. Instead of linking directly to destination pages, search results now contain URLs that redirect through Google’s server-side GoTo mechanism.
Since these redirects cannot be decoded, they must be followed to retrieve the actual destination URLs.
We addressed this change immediately and rolled out a solution on the same day, allowing us to successfully resolve 99.99% of GoTo URLs at the time.
You can read more about our initial update here: Google’s GoTo Rollout: We Already Resolve 99.99% of URLs.
What’s changed?
A few days ago, Google introduced a limit on the number of GoTo URLs that can be resolved within a certain period of time from a single SERP (results page).
Each GoTo link contains an identifier associated with the page it belongs to. When multiple links from the same page are resolved in quick succession, Google starts throttling the redirects.
Instead of redirecting directly to the destination URL, Google returns an interstitial page with a “Continue” button. The button only becomes active after a certain delay.
The faster the URLs are processed, the longer these delays become.
For example, on a page containing 18 GoTo URLs:
- The first 5–6 URLs may resolve instantly.
- The 7th URL may introduce a 1-second delay.
- The 8th may require a 3-second delay.
- By the 15th URL, the delay can reach 40 seconds.
In some cases, the delay can be as long as 120 seconds per URL.
Why can’t this limitation be bypassed?
The restriction is applied at the page level, rather than being tied to an IP address or search query.
This means that:
- Changing IP addresses does not help.
- Changing search queries does not help.
- Waiting before resolving the URLs does not reset the limit. Even waiting an hour or longer makes no difference.
As a result, this is a Google-side limitation that cannot be bypassed through conventional workarounds.
How does this affect the Google Organic SERP API?
We’ve adjusted our processing logic, and now it works like this:
- Standard Priority: We now resolve all GoTo URLs. However, please note that execution times may increase due to Google’s imposed delays.
- High Priority and Live: Due to the time constraints and Google’s throttling mechanism, approximately 50% of GoTo URLs are resolved.
We’ll keep a close eye on Google’s GoTo URL resolution behavior and continue adjusting our processing logic to deliver the best possible results across all priority modes. As always, we’ll keep you posted on any updates.