Google seems to be successfully blocking adequate of the attempts of scrapers from trying to scrape data from its hunt results leaf complete the former few weeks than it has in a lengthy time. We reported this a few weeks ago, and I am amazed to see that many tools motionless battle alongside Google Search reporting.
Back in July, Google started to test using goto redirects in the hunt results to improved acknowledge and obstacle scrapers. I assume this was not immediately aimed at Google tracking tools that SEOs use but fairly the AI bots abrasion its hunt results and Google's duel alongside SerpApi. Google has additionally lately been evaluation numerous ways to verify humans and higher rates than before - which is apt how Google is giving these scrapers a difficult time. Let's not ignore the num 100 change from 2025.
That being said, I said alongside Derek Perkins from Nozzle again concerning the issue. He has been the most transparent concerning the issues alongside me and he told me that there is a three-pronged method that Google is taking including:
(1) Super broad IP blocking, which targets important residential proxy networks
(2) A important addition in the use of captchas
(3) Google is injecting bad data into doubtful SERPs so that whenever the tools do scrape the results, they get the incorrect data in several cases.
Early this morning, he published an amazing profound dive on what he is seeing - he wrote Poisoned Google SERPs - "Since September 2026, Google has been poisoning the SERPs it serves position trackers: complete, normal-looking pages whose results have been exchanged out. Nothing on the leaf gives it away. Each keyword’s own former does." Here is what he found:
- 8.0% of SERPs came rear poisoned
- Blocked first, afterward poisoned
- The leaf looks normal. The results don’t.
- Social sites and forums inhabit the gap
- Tracked sites autumn out of the top 10
- It passes inside days
The archetypal period I reported on this, I did not comprehend rear from most of the tools I reached out to by the period I published. Several others afterward posted notices on their websites, blogs or in the tools to inform customers concerning issues. Some of those were connected to the goto redirects, whenever the fact is, the goto redirects are the uncomplicated part for the tools to handle. Sistrix commented on this, Data for SEO additionally posted item on its status page, SE Ranking posted this dawn that for Google rankings it is "missing positions for several keywords" but most of the matter has been resolved, Advanced Web Rankings posted concerning the issues, as did Morningscore and several others. But many did not get rear to me or confused the goto redirects alongside the new issues occurring.
The third approach, injecting bad data, concerns me the most. I doubtful most tools won't choice up on this matter too quickly and thus think all is fine whenever Google may be fair toying alongside them.
Again, I don't think Google is taking these efforts to obstacle the tools SEOs use but fairly to go following AI bots and SerpApi.
That being said, Google does recommendation a entire portal of data concerning rankings and additional in Search Console. It power not be adequate for what most SEOs need but Google does provision us a lot of data there. Well, not click or query data for generative AI search, akin AI Overviews and AI Mode...
There are lots of complaints concerning the tools not providing dependable data, as the matter rotate into additional visible, current is fair a sampling of those complaints or posts:
Trying to portion several findings on this but position trackers are too unreliable at the instant 😩😩😩
— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) October 8, 2026
Regarding the visibility tools having a durable period accurately tracking sites correct now, here's another fine example. This location got hammered on 9/29 during the spam update. 100% confirmed by the location owner to me... ahrefs accurately picked up the drop, Semrush way delayed picking it up (but eventually did), and afterward Sistrix motionless doesn't display the drop. Welcome to SEO visibility tracking in (late) 2026. Will be engaging to see how this goes complete time. Stay tuned.
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) October 7, 2026
@RyanJones We talked concerning that on the display today there's additional and additional things that are getting blocked akin RSS feeds from Reddit are going distant since they don't desire the ice abrasion them
— Kristine (@schachin on Tw*tter(NOW)) 🇺🇦 (@schachin) October 2, 2026
Google is blocking scrapers in new ways again... But here's the engaging part. I cognize 100% that certain sites dropped and several restored alongside the 9/4 unconfirmed update. When checking one that dropped by nearly 100%, and afterward completely recovered, current is what the big 3 tools show.
ahrefs picks up the recovery. Sistrix does NOT choice up the recovery. Semrush shows recovery, but it lagged a bit. So I think ahrefs is capable to motionless scrape ok, Semrush is motionless abrasion ok, but slower, and Sistrix is way behind. Stay tuned.
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) September 18, 2026
I have documented and handed off MozCast as finest as I'm able, so I anticipation it volition continue. Google certainly doesn't create it uncomplicated to maintain.
— Dr. Pete Meyers (@dr-pete.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 4:32 PM
@rustybrick SEO data analytics existence is akin this nowadays! https://t.co/aBDBhwjs9h
— Gagan Ghotra (@gaganghotra_) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick Trackers are off for certain .
— Robert O'Haver 🇺🇦 (@RobertOHaver) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick They don’t activity at all atm
— BowTiedWookie (@BowTiedWookie) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick Tracking tools have been noisy for months on our end too. Spot-checking a few queries in an incognito opening has been the lone way I rely a movement correct now.
— Alex Wolk (@alexwolk1) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick They are capable to detect bot traffic and alternatively of blocking them, they are poisoning the results alongside junk webpages
— Antony Deroshan (@antonyderoshan) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick Nothing matches the SERPs.
— Marty Eigner (@martyeigner3) October 10, 2026
@rustybrick Looks akin trackers are paying for Google making SERP abrasion expensive: num=100 gone, JS required. Most now example alternatively of counting, so several regular swings are measure noise. GSC trend first.
— Daniel Skov Jacobsen (@DSJACOBSEN) October 9, 2026
@rustybrick At the end of Sept/early Oct., they were certainly broken. Some material seems to be coming rear ok (in SE Ranking and Ahrefs), and I never really saw issues alongside Semrush. Luckily, SE Ranking allows for manual refreshes, which seems to help.
— Sarah (she/her) (@SarahBlocksidge) October 9, 2026
How are you all coping alongside the tools not being capable to study 100% correctly complete the former multiple weeks?
Forum conversation at X.
