Has using Moz got me banned from Google search?

[-Ash-]

Dear fellow Mozzers,

For the last couple of weeks when ever I do a google search

I have to enter a captcha code.

Now I hardly use google anymore which is annoying !

Then I went onto support.google.com

and saw this:   https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/86640?hl=en&ref_topic=3378866

"Automated traffic includes:

• Sending searches from a robot, computer program, automated service, or search scraper
• Using software that sends searches to Google to see how a website or webpage ranks on Google"

Is Moz alone doing this?

Thanks in advance for your response.

Ash

[MacarthurSEO]

I am using Moz from last few years, never came across this issue.

I come across this issue if login to google account is invalid for few time .

Regards
Milind

[RyanPurkey]

Hi Ash. I've used Moz for years and this has never happened (due to Moz). The machines they use to check rankings are separate from the machine you're using, so here's what could be going on...

1. You're checking rankings so much in Google, repetitively running the same searches over and over, that Google is limiting your machine's access.
2. You're on a VPN that is shared by others and they're doing similar to #1.
3. You're on an office network that is doing similar to #1 and it's causing the captcha to appear.

As an experiment, launch a fresh browser instance--preferably one you never use, like Opera, or a fresh Firefox install--load up a VPN to change your location to some other country, and then run your search in that country's local version of Google. I doubt you'll see the captcha then.  Cheers!

[MattAntonino]

The only way I've ever seen this happen is if you're running your own rank tools.  If you have Link Assistant's Rank Tracker or you run a custom tool you may get captcha. Also if you run SEO Tools through Excel (plugin) or if you run a lot of automated site: and cache: checking you will get it.

Moz wouldn't be causing this - though you may get it from the above or if anyone sharing your IP is doing the above, as Ryan said.

[-Ash-]

Thanks for the responses people.

Though, I am the only person on my IP address

and I'm not using any other SEO software other than Moz.

And it's for the most mundane of searches, of late I've been taking screenshots.

9 out of 10 times I get hit with a captcha.

In my OP google.support pretty much says what the cause is.

[RafalJ]

Well something is running search queries from your machine or network. Moz does not operate from your computer/network but from their own servers in the US and it will never affect your machine, its physically impossible. You need to find the issue on your machine, and I would start with investigating the browser environment first - plugins, addons, running fresh instances of the browser as Ryan explained above and if it doesn't help moving on to other software you have installed on this machine. You will find it eventually... Good luck

[RyanPurkey]

Yup. And the title of that page is that it's unusual activity from your network, and Moz isn't your network, so that one is easy to eliminate.  It's likely some other trigger as I and others mention.