Google has been changing how links in search results are constructed, routing them through an intermediate redirect. It is a small technical change with one practical consequence worth checking.
What changed
Rather than linking straight to a destination, search result links can pass through an intermediate Google URL that then redirects to the target page. The visitor still arrives at the same place, but the immediate source of the visit is a Google URL rather than a direct click on your listing.
Why it matters at all
For most site owners, it does not. The visitor arrives, the page loads, nothing about your site needs to change.
The one thing worth checking is referral attribution. When traffic passes through a redirect, some analytics setups can misclassify the source, most often recording organic visits as referral or direct. If your reporting suddenly shows organic search falling while direct traffic rises by a similar amount, this is a likelier explanation than a ranking collapse.
What to check
- Compare Search Console with analytics. Search Console reports clicks from Google directly. If it shows steady clicks while analytics shows organic falling, the problem is attribution, not visibility.
- Look at direct traffic. An unexplained rise in direct that mirrors an organic fall is the classic signature of a misattribution issue.
- Check any hardcoded referral rules. If someone previously configured custom source rules, they may not account for the new URL pattern.
What not to do
Do not change your site in response to this. There is nothing to optimise, no setting to adjust, and no advantage available. It is a reporting nuance, and the correct response is to know about it so you do not misdiagnose a data artefact as a ranking problem and spend money fixing something that was never broken.
This is a good general principle with search: before reacting to a change in a number, establish whether the thing being measured changed or only the measurement did. Our SEO audit separates the two.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change my website because of this?
No. There is nothing to optimise, no setting to adjust and no advantage available. It is worth knowing about only so you do not misdiagnose a reporting artefact as a ranking problem and spend money fixing something that was never broken.
Why is my organic traffic falling while direct rises?
That pattern is the classic signature of an attribution issue rather than a visibility one. Compare against Search Console, which reports clicks from Google directly. If Search Console clicks are steady, your rankings are fine and the problem is in how analytics is classifying the source.
How should I verify a traffic drop is real?
Always check whether the thing being measured changed or only the measurement did. Search Console and analytics disagreeing is a strong sign that the change is in the reporting layer, not in your actual search performance.
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