If you have Google as your default search engine for safari and are not automatically signed in to Google, the issue could be that your SEARCH CUSTOMIZATION is ON.
When you search in safari and it goes to the Google search page, do the following to fix this issue:
1) If a pop up appears asking to sign in to Google, do not sign in.
2) Go to the Google banner on the very top and click the settings button on the upper left (the 3 horizontal bars). A pop down menu should appear.
2) Click on the SEARCH CUSTOMIZATION menu and then switch it to OFF.
The thinking is that, having the SEARCH CUSTOMIZATION setting turned ON, let’s Google track and customize your searches - but you have to be signed in so it’s customized to you. So if you’re not signed in and your SEARCH CUSTOMIZATION setting is ON , it will attempt to ask that you sign in. The setting may have been turned ON by default during an update.
Having the setting ON may help if you do lots of searches like for work or during a time crunch, but for general purposes you don’t really need it…plus less tracking.
I hope this helps.