Google has posted a job opening for an Engineering Analyst focused on anti-scraping efforts within its Search team. This role, based in Mountain View, CA, signals a heightened push to combat automated scraping of search results, which has long been a thorn in the side of search engine integrity.
The position comes at a time when third-party tools and AI-driven services increasingly rely on scraping Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for insights, competitive analysis, and even training data.
The role requires a blend of data analysis expertise, project management skills, and a deep understanding of abuse detection.
Here’s a quick look at the key responsibilities:
- Investigating abuse patterns on Google Search and using data insights to build countermeasures.
- Analyzing datasets for trends, anomalies, and signs of scraping.
- Creating metrics to gauge scraper impact and the success of defenses.
- Working with engineers to roll out new anti-scraper rules, models, and enhancements.
- Probing proof-of-concept attacks and research to spot vulnerabilities.
- Assessing detection mechanisms’ effects on both bad actors and legitimate users.
- Building signals for ML models to catch abusive behavior.
- Maintaining intel on scraper ecosystems, including actors, motives, and tactics.
Compensation is competitive, with a base salary range of $174,000–$258,000, plus bonuses, equity, and benefits, varying by location and experience.
Why Now? Recent Changes Fuel Speculation
This hiring doesn’t come in a vacuum. Just days ago, reports surfaced that Google quietly axed the “&num=100” URL parameter, which allowed users (and tools) to view 100 search results per page. This tweak has thrown a wrench into how third-party rank-tracking tools operate, as many depended on this for efficient data collection. Now, fetching the same volume of results could cost 10 times more in queries, leading to scrambled or incomplete data across platforms.
SEO experts are buzzing about the fallout. For instance, Brodie Clark noted sharp drops in desktop impressions in Google Search Console (GSC), potentially tied to reduced scraper activity inflating past metrics. Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Land highlighted how this change has made rank tracking “a mess,” with GSC data appearing decoupled and unreliable. There’s even suspicion that heavy scraping by SEO tools has historically skewed GSC impressions, especially around AI Overviews and keyword volumes—echoing old tricks from the Yahoo Overture days where searches artificially boosted metrics.
On X, SEO consultant Glenn Gabe summed it up bluntly: “Oh boy, this is not good for third-party tools or AI search tools scraping Google.” Other shares from the community, including posts from Search Engine Journal and various marketers, underscore the anxiety over how this could reshape access to search data.
Implications for SEO, AI, and Beyond
Google’s anti-scraping crusade could lead to cleaner, more accurate data in tools like GSC, benefiting site owners with truer insights into organic performance. However, it poses challenges for SERP trackers, competitive intelligence firms, and AI companies that scrape for training or real-time search alternatives. Expect innovations in evasion tactics from scrapers, but also stronger ML-driven defenses from Google.
This role might also tie into broader efforts against abuse, like spam and fraud, ensuring Search remains “universally accessible and useful.” As Roger Montti from SEJ points out, scrapers have been suspected of distorting everything from keyword impressions to AI traffic reports.
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