Can't use Google Search links in Firefox!

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Can't use Google Search links in Firefox!

superclown2

8:24 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)

This is a new one on me. With Firefox 10 newly installed nothing happens when I click on a Google SERPs link, but I have no problem with Bing, or the Google ads! Switching to other browsers solves the problem too. I re-installed Firefox 8 and still get the same problem! Short of switching permanently to Bing, can anyone offer a possible solution?

tedster

8:59 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)

There seems to be a new kind of change go on - something to do with cookies and javascript in the SERP links, as reported now in two different threads in the Google SEO forum. In short, I'm guessing this is a Google issue rather than a direct Firefox problem.

Do you by any chance have cookies turned off in FF 10? The deal right now seems to be that you can search and click with no cookies and no javascript, or with both cookies and javascript. But no-cookies and javascript seems problematic.

superclown2

9:36 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)

Looks like you've hit the nail right on the head Tedster; allowing cookies seems to have solved the problem. I wonder if this is deliberate on the part of Google?

incrediBILL

9:40 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)

Wow, that's a pretty big bug for a company the size of Google.

Don't they have a QA or QE dept. down there?

ken_b

12:03 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

Sounds like the same issue [webmasterworld.com] I'm having.

I wonder if this affects Firefox only?

ken_b

5:17 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

Now I'm again able to click thru directly from the serps page again with cookies disallowed and js on.

I'm using FF, 10 on one machine and an older version on another.

This is the way it's been going for me, on again, off again, no pattern.

tangor

5:42 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

My bet is Google is tweaking things. There's an ongoing effort to eventually require everyone to log in to use their search engine... and their social media... and privacy policy... and thus, by reverse engineering, create their version of "facebook the captive audience". Suggested this earlier in other threads. No tinfoil hat. Just seems to be headed that way.

dstiles

10:19 pm on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

Firefox + NoScript.

Allow/reject cookies on a per-site / per-page basis.

Allow JS only where you absolutely need it on known good sites (eg bank, frequently-used shops).

Google is not included in either of the above "allow" options.

Even so, you will occasionally need to go through cookies and JS Allow and kill the G ones (and other unwanted ones) because we all make mistakes. :)