

Google Search Referrers Disappear In iOS 6 - Shooti
http://searchengineland.com/ios-6-removes-all-google-search-referer-data-134560

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pilif
I would assume this is caused by the search bar now using the SSL version of
Google.

The "fix" is "easy": If you want referrer data, offer your site over SSL or
use the Google Webmaster tools (I don't know whether there is an API to get to
that data).

Browsers don't send a referrer header if the referring site is SSL and the
target site is not. This has always been the case even on the desktop.

~~~
pandog
This is exactly what's happening - though the author seems to think
differently.

This isn't a huge deal as you can still get details of Google Queries using
Google Webmaster Tools: <http://www.google.com/webmasters/>

~~~
sullivandanny
It is a huge deal and has been since Google stopped passing referrers for
signed-in users last October. That's because...

1) If it's a privacy thing, then Google is happy having a leak by giving these
terms to advertisers

2) The data is not provided in a way that can be used by third party ad
retargeting terms, giving Google a competitive advantage

3) Publishers can't use the data to better target with landing pages

4) Google Webmaster Central data only goes back for a short period of time,
and if you haven't constantly been downloading your data, all your historic
traffic information related to a term has gone poof.

~~~
mun2mun
Does it create a monopoly situation?

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ftwinnovations
From my iOS6 4S p:

<https://www.google.com?q=referer> and then click to www.whatismyreferer.com-
_no referer_ as expected.

<http://www.google.com?q=referer> and then click to www.whatismyreferer.com -
_a valid referer_ as expected.

Nothing to see here folks.

~~~
mikeryan
ironically if you follow this path in a desktop browser it bounces you through
an HTTP url so the referrer is set.

Contrary to the article it looks like Google is doing something different to
iOS 6 users, not Apple. (note I have no idea if this is something _specific_
to iOS users, it could be happening on Android as well - I'm not trying to
attribute this to malice)

EDIT: Just tried this on my nexus 7 and it also skips the http referer page,
so I get the "no referer" message. it seems like something they do for mobile
browsers?

~~~
ftwinnovations
I think you missed the point of the above demonstration a bit. It was meant to
demonstration that iOS6 is acting completely normal. No referer is sent for
https, and that is expected behavior. Google even went so far as to send out
emails, blog posts to the analytics and the webmaster tools blogs, and G+
posts about it a while back so GA users would not be surprised as there
referrer data decreased. For those missing refers we now have to use the
Webmaster Tools and try to piece the data together a bit.

~~~
mikeryan
I think you missed my point.

If I go to the https link above via a desktop browser, and see the results
page (also https) with "What's my referrer" on it and click the link Google
doesn't take me directly to the site, the link for "What's my referrer" is
(not https)

[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&#...</a><p>Which then
redirects me to whatismyreferer.com so that whatismyreferer gets a google
referer. Apparently for whatever reason if you do that on iOS6 the search
results takes you directly to whatismyreferer.com without the redirect.

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olalonde
Unrelated but I just learned that "referer" is a misspelling of "referrer" but
we still use the former term as it is set in stone by the HTTP standard.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_referer#Origin_of_the_term...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_referer#Origin_of_the_term_referer)

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Judson
The last line of the article:

> However, it does seem like this issue is specific with Google. So I suspect
> it is either a bug on Google’s side (or a feature).

If this is what he suspects, why does he phrase the title as if it is
something in iOS 6 that is causing the issue.

~~~
smackfu
If it's new to iOS 6 vs iOS 5, then it's clearly something that changed in iOS
6.

~~~
tedunangst
Default search site changed to be SSL. Are we really complaining that's a bad
thing?

~~~
mitchty
Lately if its anything Apple related it seems to be interpreted as a bad
thing. It is getting tiresome.

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thowar2
Referrer data still seems to be sent when I go to
<http://www.whatismyreferer.com/> from the SSL version of Google on my
desktop.

In fact, I did the exact same thing but with the User-Agent set to iOS 6. No
referrer data.

This is a problem on Google's side.

~~~
taf2
That's right and while it's up to google - there is an unfortunate consequence
that a very large analytics industry exists and funds thousands if not
millions of jobs - not saying this won't have an impact on that industry would
be short sighted - I am of the belief that if you don't want to be track there
is one very simple solution turn off your computer.

~~~
bad_user
Think of the children too.

Personally I couldn't care less if some people lose jobs.

SEO in general is all about gaming the algorithms of search engines to gain an
unfair advantage. A search engine that needs SEO to get to the front page is a
broken search engine. And because Google has the incentive and the resources
to constantly improve it, an industry built around the deficiencies of a
search engine is doomed for extinction from the start.

Of course, SEO is not the only reason for why some companies need analytics.
But for all the other reasons, they should do what good businesses have always
done and actually talk to their customers or potential customers, instead of
looking in the records of their referrers, which often contains the deepest
desires of people without them realizing that the data in question will be
released.

    
    
        if you don't want to be track there is one very 
        simple solution turn off your computer.
    

These kind of statements kind of make my blood boil and I'm trying really hard
to contain my anger.

As to your statement, you're saying it like it's an option to turn off the
computer. Well, that's not an option anymore for many people, and it's
increasingly clear that we're going to depend on computers connected to the
Internet for everything, like for doing our shopping, for paying our bills,
for communicating with others and for being able to do our jobs.

It's enough to say that privacy is a fundamental right that people should
always keep fighting for and for which eternal vigilance is required. And if
there ever was a time in history when people truly had privacy, that was only
because some people fought for it.

Totalitarian states never needed high-tech, like interconnected computers or
street video cameras with face recognition and GPS chips implants and all that
crap, all they needed was for people to turn on each other, so the Internet is
not even a prerequisite, but human stupidity and shortsightedness is.

~~~
sullivandanny
SEO is not about an unfair advantage. If that were the case, then Google
itself wouldn't offer a free guide to SEO.

That's simply an unfortunately common and ignorant misconception. It's like
saying that knowing HTML design requirements is an unfair advantage in making
web pages.

------
qwertzlcoatl
They updated the bottom of the article to read _Postscript: At about 12:15pm
EDT I now see referer data being passed from mobile Safari on iOS 6 via Google
either signed in or signed out. I am not sure if this was a bug or something
else but it does now seem to pass referer data. It even passes query data if
you are signed in._

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mikeryan
This appears to be a mobile browser thing when searching google with https.

Search <https://www.google.com> in a desktop browser and you will get a
results page where the links don't like you directly to the result page, they
actually take you to an http redirect page which then forwards you to your
final destination (which now gets a "google.com" referer.

On my iPhone and my Nexus 7 if I do a search on <https://www.google.com> the
results page does _not_ have the http redirect link. So the final destination
does not get a referer.

This seems to be a behavior on Google's side that is different for desktop and
mobile browsers, there's nothing specific to Apple here.

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Kesty
This will badly reflects on analytics softwares if you have a heavy mobile
website.

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spo81rty
As someone who spends a lot of time working on internet marketing, not getting
the search terms due to this and all the other changes really stinks!

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zalew
it will possibly affect registration wall publishers who are open to google
referals (like WSJ, NYT, etc.).

