Google replaces plain result links with opaque goto redirects

Google Search has begun rewriting organic result links from readable URLs into a new google.com/goto?url= format that hides the actual destination inside an encoded, Google-specific parameter. Unlike the older google.com/url redirect wrapper, which kept the target link visible in plaintext, the new format requires a request back to Google's servers to retrieve the real URL from the Location header. As of late August 2026 this behavior appears consistently for logged-out and private browsing sessions, suggesting a wider rollout rather than a small test.