---
title: "Google appears to be blocking scrapers and rank trackers harder"
url: https://surfil.com/news/google-scraper-blocking-rank-tracker-impact
section: news
language: en
published: 2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Technical SEO", "AI search"]
---

# Google appears to be blocking scrapers and rank trackers harder

## The short answer

Google appears more successful at blocking AI scrapers, rank trackers and third-party tracking tools since around September 13, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported. Nozzle saw about an 80 percent drop in the data it could get. Sistrix reported a reduced rate, and Glenn Gabe's checks suggest Ahrefs and Semrush are less affected, so results vary by tool.

## Key takeaways

- Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google appears to be blocking AI scrapers and rank-tracking tools more effectively since around September 13, 2026.
- Nozzle's Derek Perkins said most of his tool's attempts to pull data from Google Search have been blocked, a drop of about 80 percent in the data he could get.
- Perkins said he saw the same with data from DataForSEO, while Sistrix said its data collection was running at a reduced rate as of September 16, 2026.
- Glenn Gabe's checks suggest Ahrefs can still scrape Google Search and Semrush can too, though more slowly.
- Gabe's checks show the effect differs by tool, and Schwartz had no confirmation from other tools and warned the tool data might be wrong.

Rank-tracking and third-party tracking tools that scrape Google Search results are reporting
sharply reduced success since around September 13, 2026, according to Search Engine Roundtable.
Nozzle, one of the affected vendors, said it saw about an 80 percent drop in the data it could
get from Google. The pattern coincides with Google updates the site tracked on
September 4, 12 and 15, though Google has not confirmed any change aimed at scrapers.

## What vendors are reporting

Nozzle's Derek Perkins said the majority of his tool's attempts to scrape data from Google Search
have been blocked, putting the drop in data at around 80 percent. He said he saw the same with data
from DataForSEO.
Sistrix posted a status update saying "Google has made further changes to the way search results
are delivered" and that its own data collection was running at a reduced rate as of September 16,
2026. Sistrix's Steve Paine said Google has been changing how it delivers [search results](/topics/technical-seo)
for about a year, currently at a very high pace.

Not every vendor reports the same hit. Neither Ahrefs nor Semrush reported a block. SEO consultant Glenn Gabe
checked a site that dropped and fully recovered: Ahrefs picked up the recovery, Semrush showed it
with a lag and Sistrix did not. He concluded Ahrefs and Semrush can still scrape, Semrush more slowly, a sign
the blocking is not landing the same way across every tool.

## How reliable is this signal

Search Engine Roundtable's Barry Schwartz wrote that something may be off with the data
scraping from these tools, that he suspects Google is winning, and that the tools might be wrong, so
readers should be careful with their data. He had no confirmation from other tools yet, the source
mentions none from Google, and the inconsistency between tools such as Ahrefs and Sistrix supports
treating this as an observed pattern rather than a confirmed policy shift.

## Why we care

Rank trackers, [AI search](/topics/ai-search) monitoring tools and other third-party scrapers are
how much of the industry measures ranking movement and AI Overview presence when Google's own
tools do not cover the same ground. If access to Google Search keeps degrading for these tools,
site owners lose a chunk of the visibility data they rely on day to day, and any tool-reported
ranking swing needs more scrutiny about whether it reflects real movement or a scraping gap.

## Common questions

### When did Google's scraper blocking appear to get stronger?

Around September 13, 2026, according to Search Engine Roundtable, coinciding with Google updates the site tracked on September 4, 12 and 15. Vendors reported the effect within days of that window.

### How much data did Nozzle lose?

Nozzle's Derek Perkins said most of his tool's attempts to scrape data from Google Search were blocked, and that he saw about an 80 percent drop in the data he could get, a figure he reported himself and Google did not confirm.

### Are all rank-tracking tools affected equally?

No. Sistrix reported a reduced data collection rate, and Perkins said he saw the same with data from DataForSEO. Glenn Gabe's checks suggest Ahrefs still scrapes and Semrush does, more slowly. The effect varies by tool and is not consistent.

## Sources

1. [Google Seems To Be More Successful At Blocking The AI Scrapers & Tracking Tools](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-blocking-scrapers-and-tracking-tools-42118.html) - Search Engine Roundtable (primary)