Google's anti-scraping crackdown breaks Ahrefs and other SEO rank trackers, data now suspect

SEO · x · 2026-10-13

What happened: Search Engine Roundtable confirms Google has sharply ramped up blocking of SERP scrapers in recent weeks, breaking third-party rank trackers. Multiple SEOs saw nearly every client site "tank" in Ahrefs while manual spot checks showed rankings unchanged.
Background: Since July Google has tested goto redirects in search results to identify and block scrapers — mainly AI bots scraping SERPs (its duel with SerpApi) — plus more frequent human verification, on top of 2025's num=100 change.
Impact: Nozzle's Derek Perkins says Google is using a three-pronged anti-scraping approach. JHTScherck warns data in Ahrefs Site Explorer and SEMrush is now suspect and must be scrutinized before making business decisions.
Takeaway for marketers/SEOs: don't act on third-party rank-tracking volatility for now; watch for proactive comms from tool vendors.

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