The &num=100 parameter was a query parameter that SEO tools and power users appended to Google search URLs to display 100 organic results on a single page, rather than the standard 10. On September 11th, 2025, Google quietly deprecated the parameter, which had a significant ripple effect across the SEO industry.
Impact on Rank Tracking Tools
Rank tracking tool providers (such as Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, etc.) relied on the &num=100 parameter to efficiently and cost-effectively gather large datasets of Search Engine Results Page (SERP) data. The sudden removal of the parameter forced these tools to completely change their data collection methods and resulted in temporary issues.
- Increased operational costs: Without &num=100, tools must now make ten separate requests (using the start parameter) to gather the top 100 results, potentially multiplying their infrastructure, bandwidth, and API call costs by a factor of ten.
- Initial data outages and inaccuracies: When the parameter was first removed, many rank trackers temporarily failed to gather comprehensive SERP data, leading to gaps and inaccuracies in their reporting. Semrush and others acknowledged the issue and implemented workarounds.
- Slower reporting: The need to perform more API calls to get the same amount of data means that collecting, processing, and generating rank tracking reports now takes more time for providers.
- Reduced depth of data: For some providers, the most cost-effective solution may be to reduce the depth of their tracking, potentially moving from reporting the top 100 results to a more limited range like the top 50 or 20.
Impact on Google Search Console Data
The impressions data shown in Google Search Console (GSC) was heavily influenced by bot traffic from rank tracking tools that used the &num=100 parameter. With Google disabling the parameter, this bot activity has vanished from GSC’s reporting, causing dramatic shifts in the data.
- Dramatic drop in desktop impressions: Many site owners have seen a sharp, sudden decrease in the number of desktop impressions reported in GSC.
- Increase in average position: Because the bots were retrieving the full top 100 results, their “impressions” for lower-ranking positions were previously included in GSC data. With these bot impressions removed, the average position has shifted upward for many queries, as the lower-ranking, non-human-driven impressions are no longer being counted.
- No change in clicks: Crucially, the actual number of human clicks and overall site traffic remains unaffected, as the change only impacted how bots and tools were inflating the impressions data.
- “Cleaner” data: The disabled parameter has removed a significant source of inflated bot traffic from GSC, resulting in impression data that more accurately reflects actual human search behavior.
How Does This Impact Small-to-Medium Size Businesses?
The discontinuation of the &num=100 parameter by Google disproportionately affects small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in two major ways: financially and strategically.
Unlike larger enterprises with dedicated in-house SEO teams and ample budgets, SMBs often rely on affordable tools, lean teams, and data efficiency, all of which have been significantly disrupted.
Financial Impact
- Higher costs for SEO tools: Rank tracking tools like Semrush and Ahrefs have to make 10 times more requests to retrieve the top 100 search results for a given keyword. This multiplies their data collection costs, which they will inevitably pass on to customers through price increases. SMBs using these platforms on limited budgets may be forced to downgrade their plans or switch to less capable, cheaper alternatives, receiving less comprehensive data in the process.
- Increased agency costs: SMBs that outsource their SEO to agencies will likely see an increase in their monthly retainer fees. Agencies face similar operational cost increases as the SEO tool providers and may adjust pricing to maintain profitability.
- Misallocation of budget based on GSC data: The skewed data in Google Search Console (GSC) could lead to misinterpretations and bad decisions. An SMB owner might see a sudden, sharp drop in desktop impressions and, not knowing the cause, panic and reallocate marketing budget from a successful organic search strategy into paid ads to compensate.
Strategic and Analytical Impact
- Less competitive intelligence: The detailed competitor analysis that SMBs rely on to plan their content and keyword strategy is now more difficult and expensive to acquire. Losing visibility into the top 100 results limits their ability to:
- Find long-tail keywords that competitors are ranking for outside of the top 10.
- Benchmark their performance against a wide array of competitors, not just the top-ranking ones.
- Spot new market entrants or emerging competitors further down the search results.
- Confusion over SEO performance: The sudden and drastic drop in impressions and jump in average rank data in GSC can cause confusion and panic for SMBs who track their own metrics. They may mistakenly believe their SEO strategy has failed or that they have been penalized by a Google algorithm update, leading to rash decisions.
- Strain on lean teams: For SMBs with small marketing teams, the shift requires extra time and effort to understand the new data, explain the changes to stakeholders, and adjust strategy. They may need to manually piece together data from multiple sources or spend time refining keyword tracking lists to reduce costs, distracting from other high-priority tasks.
- Potential for misdirected focus: Because most human users don’t go past the first page of results, the &num=100 parameter removal might prompt some SMBs to exclusively focus on the top 10 positions. While this is a common goal, an over-emphasis can cause them to ignore valuable keyword opportunities in the lower-ranking positions that still drive incremental traffic and sales.
Effect on Google Search Console Data
So, what should you expect your Search Console metrics to look like after Google’s removal of the &num=100 parameter?
- Impressions: A sudden and noticeable decline beginning around September 10–12, 2025, as bot-driven impressions vanish from reporting.
- Average position: A sharp improvement, since fewer low-ranking impressions are included. (A lower number is better, as it means closer to position 1.)
- Clicks: Largely unchanged, since bots never clicked results. Human-driven traffic remains stable.
- Average click-through rate (CTR): An increase, because impressions dropped while clicks stayed consistent, boosting the ratio.
Google Search Console data over the last 6 months showing the inversion of impressions (violet line) and average position (orange line).
Turn Disruption Into Continued Growth
Google’s decision to retire the &num=100 parameter has transformed how businesses access search data. For SMBs, this change can feel overwhelming, with higher costs, less clarity, and new risks of misinterpreting performance.
Yet, within this challenge lies opportunity. Cleaner impression data means a more accurate view of real human behavior in search. The key is having the right strategy to interpret these shifts, identify new opportunities, and continue driving growth.
Our SEO team specializes in guiding businesses through industry changes like this. We’ll help you avoid costly missteps, make smarter decisions with your data, and stay ahead of competitors.
If you’re ready to future-proof your search strategy, sign up for our SEO services today and gain a partner who can turn disruption into sustainable growth.
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