Google is using a link redirector today in USA SERPS

[isitreal]

This morning I did a google search and they seem to have switched overnite to this format on the SERP links:

[google.com...]

Strange in context of this recent thread on using outbound link redirects [webmasterworld.com].

To double check, I went to google.es, which is returning the old style SERP link

[domain1.com...]

I noticed this instantly because I use tab browsing, and which is set to open new domains in new tabs, the only way a new domain can't open in a new tab is when it is using a redirector page.

Annoying to say the least, since I use this feature extensively to keep my google search open while checking out the results in new links. I'll have to see if I can reconfigure my tabs to open redirects in new tabs.

[Brett_Tabke]

Nope - not here. They test with the default redirector on certain keywords and browser sets.

Look back through the archives and you'll see 50+ threads just like this one.

That is not to say Google isn't counting clicks via their java script that has been running for almost a year.

[isitreal]

I've never seen google give hardcoded redirector results before, it was interesting. Does not seem to have been related to keywords since it did it on every search I ran this morning before it stopped, which it did briefly after I noticed it this morning, and then google went back to standard links.

Browser type could be correct, hard to say, although I always use the same browser for google searches. Cookie based output choice could also be possible, again, not enough to go on, but that's my first guess.

Unfortunately it stopped before I had time to do more intensive testing to see if it was browser related, cookie related, or whatever.

If they are already running click through type stuff through javascript why do it server side as well?