Redirect urls on Google SERPS

[Brett_Tabke]

All the listings I've checked in the last hour have had click through counters on them.

Counter address example:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start=1&q=http://www.webmasterworld.com/&e=1416

That's not a real warm development. I hope it's temporary. It means constantly editing cut and pasted urls.

Looks like some changes are afoot at the plex. There was also the discovery of colorless AdWords [webmasterworld.com] and the increase in db size [webmasterworld.com].

[starec]

Must be geo-limited. Can't see it from Europe no matter what browser I try.

[Receptional]

OK - from the UK I can't see it in Opera OR IE, but when I go through an anonymiser site based in the US I see the results. [edit added: Hmm - just looked again and maybe I saw the anonymizing service's link and mistook it for Brette's example]

[edit added: even so...] So - Google is only counting US users.

There are a few commercial reasons why this makes sense,

1) Without this data they don't know the average number of sites a user clicks on from a page of search results

2) With this data they can see how much less (or more?) effective adwords are than real listings

3) They can probably count partner sites as well, allowing them to charge the likes of lesser beings than yahoo of a results orientated basis if they chose.

4) Like Direct Hit did, they can give busy sites a boost - bummer for using multiple URLs, great for best of breeds in any given sector.

5) If they are also checking the IP of each "clicker" they can spot people that might, when all is done and dusted, be clicking in the vain hope of promoting their own site up the listings.

I bet there are more reasons that people can think of...

Give me more blue chip customers, I might need them.

Dixon.

[martin]

Nothing here with Opera 6.02 Linux identified as Opera and as IE.

[Brett_Tabke]

Strange that it's only opera though. Wonder if they are analyzing their agreement with Opera in prep for the release of the mega Opera 7 due out rsn. Opera 6 includes an embedded google link.

[Napoleon]

A fantastic couple of spots there Brett (this and the color)... absolutely top notch.

This all gives me an uneasy feeling about the future of Google. You've seen as much as I have that search engines are capable of doing the dumbest of things.

[rfgdxm1]

I can't replicate this in Michigan using Opera identifying as Opera either.

[Brett_Tabke]

source [webmasterworld.com]

[Receptional]

Maybe they are JUST checking Ohio :)

Thanks for the source. Brett. That is certainly not what we see in UK.

[Dante_Maure]

Now that is definitely not just a glitch. It's more than simply a lack of background color.

The spacing of the ads is different and there's the inclusion of the divider between each one.

Clearly deliberate.

[saurabh]

I don't think its random. Probably they are using it on uncommon search terms.
I searched for this where is webmasterworld [google.com] and got the URL for webmaster world as [google.com...]

I am from India so they are not counting US users only.

[startup]

No tracking codes on the sponsored links.

[DaveN]

theory only,

url?sa=U
&start=1 <- this bit
&q=http://www.google.com/googlegroups/archive_announce_20.html
&e=1416

I think with the bleaching of the adwords and a start Position for the serps it would be easy to inject the adwords or overture or ink into google serps for people like yahoo or myway

DaveN

Brett have you seen any results that don't follow the start-1,2,3,4, order

[turk182]

I think google has been "counting" the visitors through a redirection for some time now. I could remember seeing things like [google.com...] more than two months ago. The page appeared for less than a second before the page outside google was loaded.

Furthermore, when I make a search like "DCR-PC101 specifications" without quotes, in the url addresses showed under the site description there is a surplus blank space, so If you make cut&paste of the url, the page shows an error because of this blank space (instead of www.domain.com/directory/page you see www.domain.com/[blank space]directory/page).

Turk

[johnser]

London calling:

Am seeing [google.com...] using Opera 6.01 (ID=Opera) when I click on the adWords, (not the main SERPs)

This shows up when using UK IP and also US IP
J

[julinho]

Sorry if this question is too stupid, but here it goes:
what is the impact of this click through counting on people who donīt use AdWords or any other kind of PPCs?
TIA