# Google feeds rank trackers fake results to block AI scraping

Published: 2026-10-18T03:10:30.484Z · Source: Nozzle (https://nozzle.io/research/poisoned-google-serps/)
Source date: 2026-10-10
Flags: study — vendor-published (Nozzle, a rank-tracking vendor); catch-up (Fri Oct 10)
Entities: google

Google began blocking bulk search-results collection outright on September 13, 2026, then switched to serving pages with swapped-out results instead, according to research from rank-tracking vendor Nozzle. Analyzing 27.5 million SERPs collected across 49 countries, Nozzle found the share of pages missing more than half their usual top-10 sites rose from a 0.17% baseline to an 8.0% average afterward, peaking at 27.0% on September 29; most affected pages revert within three days. Nozzle says third-party rank trackers are "caught in" a countermeasure aimed at bulk AI-grounding scrapers, since both collect results pages the same way; social platforms including Reddit and Facebook are over-represented on the altered pages.

Why it matters: If Google is deliberately degrading results served to bulk collectors rather than just blocking them, every citation-tracking and rank-tracking tool on this beat is reading data it can no longer assume reflects what a real searcher sees.

## What this answers

**Is Google feeding fake search results to AI scrapers and rank trackers?**

Nozzle's research says yes: after blocking bulk SERP collection outright starting September 13, 2026, Google began serving results pages where fewer than half of a keyword's usual top-10 sites appear, at an average rate of 8.0% of SERPs (peak 27.0% on September 29), versus a 0.17% baseline rate before the change.

**What shows up on Google's altered or poisoned search results pages?**

Per Nozzle's analysis of 27.5 million SERPs, social platforms are over-represented on affected pages — Reddit (+8.0 points), Facebook (+5.5), LinkedIn (+3.1) and Instagram (+2.5) — while YouTube and Yelp are under-represented; most affected pages revert within 3 days.


Canonical: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-10-18-google-feeds-rank-trackers-fake-results-to-block-ai-scraping/
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