Google’s New Passthrough URLs: What Medical Practices Should Know

Google is rolling out a change to organic search results that could affect how SEO platforms collect and report ranking data.

The change uses google.com/goto passthrough URLs, which route some search clicks through Google’s servers before sending users to the final website. The patient experience remains largely the same, but the change may create challenges for third-party rank tracking and search monitoring tools.

A New Layer Between Search and the Website

Previously, users could hover over a Google search result and see the destination URL. With the new system, some results instead display a Google-hosted /goto URL before redirecting the user to the intended page.

The final destination does not change. Patients still reach the same medical practice website or service page after clicking the result.

The bigger change happens behind the scenes. Third-party tools that collect search results automatically may now need to follow additional redirects, making large-scale data collection more difficult and potentially slower.

The change appears to be part of Google’s broader efforts to limit automated scraping of search results.

What This Could Mean for Medical SEO Reporting

Medical practices generally do not collect search results themselves, but many rely on SEO platforms to monitor rankings, local visibility, and competitors.

As these tools adjust to Google’s changes, practices may see:

• Delays or gaps in ranking reports
• Temporary inconsistencies between SEO platforms
• Fluctuations in local search tracking
• Differences between third-party ranking data and Google’s own reporting

A sudden change in a rank-tracking report therefore should not automatically be interpreted as a real decline in search visibility.

The Patient Experience Hasn’t Changed

The passthrough system does not change where a patient ultimately lands.

Someone searching for a medical practice, treatment, or service can still click a result and reach the same website page. The primary impact is on how automated systems access and measure Google’s search results.

That distinction is important when evaluating SEO performance. A reporting change and a visibility change are not necessarily the same thing.

How Practices Can Validate Their SEO Data

When a third-party ranking report shows an unexpected change, practices should look at additional sources before making strategic decisions.

• Start with Google Search Console. Search Console provides first-party data on a practice’s impressions, clicks, and search performance.
• Check website analytics. Look for corresponding changes in organic traffic and engagement.
• Ask your SEO provider about its tracking system. Your provider should be able to explain whether it has adapted to Google’s new passthrough URLs and whether reporting has been affected.

Using several data sources makes it easier to distinguish an actual SEO trend from a temporary reporting issue.

Why Reliable SEO Measurement Matters

Google continues to introduce technical changes that make automated search-result collection more difficult. That makes it increasingly important for medical practices to understand where their SEO data comes from.

Third-party ranking platforms remain useful for monitoring trends, but they should be viewed alongside first-party data rather than treated as the only measure of search performance.

At MedShark Digital, we help medical practices and healthcare organizations navigate Google’s changing search environment, monitor meaningful SEO metrics, and build strategies focused on sustainable visibility and patient acquisition.

Contact MedShark Digital to learn how we can help your practice make sense of changing search data and strengthen its organic search presence.