Time to Update Referer Scripts and Plugins

In order to better capture outbound clicks, the referer path for Google search results will change from /search to /url. Google search result pages will link to a gateway URL before delivering a visitor to her final destination.



Although it is not certain exactly which parameters will be passed through the gateway, the search term, q, is still preserved inside the sample URL provided by the Google Analytics blog.

If you are using a script or plug-in using referer strings, e.g. to highlight keywords searched, in your blogs, you might want to check this out as the proposed change may break the script(s) you have been using.

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