If your SEO reports suddenly look different, your ranking tools are showing you some weird results, or Google Search Console shows you less data, it might be because Google has changed the way you can get search results over a large scale. Google discontinued support for the parameter &num=100 in September 2025, which had been a common feature in Google’s previous offerings, enabling users and SEO tools to access a maximum of 100 search results in a single page.
Google has stated the parameter was not technically supported, but its absence has been felt in the way SEO tools and rank trackers work, as well as in the way marketers interpret search data. So, what exactly did change—and what is the impact for your SEO strategy?
What is different about Google Search?
It is an old trick of SEO practitioners that they used to be able to show up to 100 Google results on a single page, using the &num=100 parameter. This allowed automated tools to easily gather ranking data and to perform analysis on pages that were not on the first page. That all changed in September of 2025. The &num=100 parameter was no longer reliable, and SEO platforms were no longer able to rely on the same method to collect large volumes of data from search results.
What matters is that Google didn’t just say that it will no longer show more than 10 search results. Instead, it eliminated the old way of requesting 100 results all in one go. Google Search now offers pagination and different search experiences for regular users. However, for SEO tools and automated systems, it’s introduced to be more complex to get deeper rankings. And that’s where the real impact kicks in!
Why is this important to SEO?
Data is the main factor behind SEO. Marketers monitor their rankings to determine if they are rising, falling, or moving closer to the top of the page. The positions 11-100 are especially useful as they show some keywords which may have great potential. As it becomes more challenging to gain access to deeper search results, SEO experts have a limited amount of visibility into those opportunities.
Third-party tracking platforms were among those that were impacted the most. A number of SEO providers reported disruption or changes in their ranking methodologies after Google’s update. Some platforms made changes in their tracking depth, others came up with alternative methods. So if your SEO report changes dramatically, it does not necessarily mean that your website has lost rankings. Sometimes, the measurement system changed, but not the website.
The impact that the Change may bring on your SEO reports.
1. Deeper Rankings Are Harder to Track
The deeper the ranking, the harder it is to track. Until now, large swaths of Google’s search results were efficiently analyzed using tools. Monitoring beyond the first page can be done in a variety of ways and may not be as consistent without &num=100. This is important since keywords that are ranking in the 15th, 25th or 40th position may be future opportunities. Without being able to monitor those terms effectively, it’s more difficult to find pages that are near the top of the page one.
2. The Rank-Tracking Data May Be Unusual.
Don’t panic if a sudden change in your ranking reports means you have less positions being tracked or strange fluctuations in your rankings. Be sure to find out if your SEO platform has altered its tracking system. This change in September 2025 impacted the way some platforms collected Google search data and could require some nuance when comparing historical data.
3. Search Console Data Needs Context
At about the same time, there were also strange spikes in impressions and average position data reported from Google Search Console by SEO folks. It doesn’t necessarily mean that websites lost the same number of inbound visitors. Use Search Console in conjunction with other metrics such as:
- Organic clicks
- Website traffic
- Click-through rate
- Leads
- Conversions
- Revenue
If you are seeing a decrease in impressions but no change in clicks or conversions, that is a very different story than if you’re seeing a decrease in all three. Don’t believe a single SEO measure.
Has Google made this change to ward off AI scrapers?
The timing has generated a lot of speculation over whether Google’s action was an attempt to throttle back on the automated scraping, especially with the rise of AI systems that feed on and crunch web content. But, Google hasn’t directly stated that AI scraping is the particular cause for removing &num=100.
There are a number of theories in the SEO community, such as limiting the access to search-result data by machines, as well as managing the resources needed to present many result sets. Such statements are not intended to be explanations, however; they are rather industry interpretations. What’s more significant than the speculations for marketers is the practical:
Google is reducing the flexibility of SEO professionals to how they can gather data on search results. This implies that the strategies used for measurement must change.
What to do next for SEO Professionals?
But it isn’t about panic, it’s about not giving up on rank tracking.
The aim is to make SEO reporting smarter.
2. Find out what the business outcomes are.
Rankings are helpful, but not the end of the world.
It’s interesting that a keyword moved from #18 to #12. It’s not nothing if it results in more qualified leads and revenue for your page.
Your SEO reports should correlate your searches visibility with:
Traffic → Engagement → Leads → Conversions → Revenue
This simplifies SEO performance for easier understanding and more value to clients.
2. Prioritize High-Value Keywords
Don’t get caught up worrying about hundreds of ranking jobs, but focus on those with real business opportunity.
Be sure to pay attention to:
- Phrases with keywords that are ranked in the top 20–30 spots.
- Phrases containing keywords ranked #21-30.
- High-impression, low-CTR queries
- High-intent searches
- Pages generating conversions
- Content that is very similar to search intent, but requires enhancement.
These are usually more opportunities for optimization than targeting altogether new keywords.
3. Use Multiple Data Sources
No one single platform should be relied upon for a resilient SEO strategy. Combine:
Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Rank Tracking, Keyword Research, Conversion Data. Each source provides its own unique information. Search visibility data is available in Search Console. After they’ve arrived, Analytics will tell you what they do. Trackers for targeted keywords track the keywords which have been selected and conversion data helps determine if organic traffic is really helping the business to grow. Together they will give a much clearer picture.
4. Don’t Overreact to Sudden Changes
If the data is suddenly different, check it out first of all and then go with a different plan if it is.
Ask:
- Has there been a drop in organic traffic?
- Did clicks decline?
- Did conversions decline?
- Did there change in rankings on multiple tools?
- Has your tracking platform been forced to adapt its method?
Did Google really release an update?
Only then should you determine if your web site really needs to make corrections.
The Bigger Shift: SEO Beyond Rankings
This change by Google and &num=100 is a sign of a larger shift in search. What was once a straightforward process is getting more complicated with AI Overviews, AI-powered experiences, changing SERPs, personalization and user behavior. The past concept of ranking for a single keyword is now inadequate to determine the success of an SEO campaign.
To be successful with modern SEO, you must have a more wide-ranging perspective on search intent, content, topical authority, technical SEO, traffic, and conversions. Rankings are still important, but they are not all there is to know.
The Bottom Line
Google’s decision to remove &num=100 might sound like a minor tweak, but it has made it tougher to monitor deeper rankings and more challenging to report on SEO.
The key takeaway?
SEO isn’t about tracking more numbers. It’s all about knowing the right ones. Track ratings, but also track traffic, engagement, leads, conversions and revenue. Your approach to SEO and how you measure it should evolve with search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a decline in search results?
Google eliminated support for &num=100, which was used to get 100 results at a time.
Will the 10-result limitation be permanent?
It would be more correct to say that Google has phased out the way of requesting 100 results. This shouldn’t be called a permanent restriction of 10 results for every search.
What’s causing my SEO tools to display strange data?
A lot of SEO platforms used to extract large-scale results from the Google results. Disruption of deeper-rank tracking with the removal of &num=100
Have my website visitors decreased?
Not necessarily. Analyze the data from Search Console, along with organic traffic, clicks, conversions, and revenue, before making any judgments.
Are there any other ways to see rankings outside of the top 10?
Yes but, for deeper ranking and accuracy, now it’s more important than ever to use the right SEO platform and tracking techniques.
Why did Google remove the ‘&num=100’?
Google hasn’t disclosed any particular reason. Theories about AI scraping or server load have been going around.
Where’s business now going?
Prioritize over rankings, organic traffic, qualified leads, conversions, revenue, and content performance.
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