If you’ve seen unusual changes in your ranking reports this week, you’re not alone. Google has quietly changed how search results are displayed, dropping support for the &num=100 parameter. Until now, this parameter has allowed SEO tools like Seobility to fetch 100 search results per query at once.
This update has big implications for rank tracking, SEO tools, and reporting accuracy. In this post, we’ll explain what happened, why it matters, and how Seobility is handling it so that you can continue to rely on accurate and stable ranking data.
What happened?
For many years, SEO professionals have relied on the &num=100 URL parameter in Google Search to display 100 results on a single search results page instead of the default top 10. This made it possible for rank tracking tools like Seobility’s Ranking Monitoring to collect in-depth search results data in a cost-efficient way.
Recently, however, SEOs noticed that the parameter no longer works reliably:
- In some cases, Google still shows 100 results, but often it defaults back to 10, even when &num=100 is used.
- Data providers confirmed that Google has effectively dropped support for the parameter, limiting results to 10 per page.
This change affects rank tracking because many SEO tools, including Seobility, are using these larger result sets for retrieving rankings.
Site owners have also seen unusual changes in Google Search Console metrics. Reported impressions have dropped, while average position values appear artificially improved. However, these are not real performance changes. They simply happen because Google no longer shows results beyond the top 10 in a single request, so impressions from later positions are missing from the data.
Why would Google make this change?
Many in the SEO community speculate that Google made this change for a mix of practical reasons: by limiting results to only 10 per page, it becomes harder for bots to scrape huge amounts of data at once. Many argue that this has increased significantly due to scraping by AI tools. Additionally, Google’s servers need to process and send less information for each query, which saves infrastructure costs. Users are also guided toward the traditional search experience, where they click through multiple pages instead of seeing everything at once.
It’s worth noting that Google has not made any official statement about this change yet. It’s also unclear whether this is a permanent shift or if Google might eventually provide an alternative mechanism for accessing deeper result sets.
What does this mean for you as a Seobility user?
We know how important reliable ranking data is for your SEO work. Here’s what you should know:
- Until September 21: Daily ranking updates will continue as usual. Your Ranking Monitoring will still include 100 results per keyword.
- While ensuring an uninterrupted rank tracking experience, we are actively working on a long-term solution. Moving forward, we must strike the right balance between controlling costs and maintaining enough depth of ranking data so you can keep monitoring your SEO success.
- This is why from September 22, ranking updates will be limited to the top 20 results per keyword for the Premium and Agency plans. You’ll still receive daily ranking updates with these plans. Users on the Basic plan will receive weekly updates, limited to the top 10 results per keyword.
- We acknowledge that our users have different strategies and thus different tracking needs. That’s why we are exploring solutions that will give you the flexibility to track rankings beyond the top 20 in the future through optional offerings.
- You’ll stay informed. Transparency is key. As soon as we have a sustainable solution in place, we’ll share the details with you!
Why focus on the top 20 positions?
To help you understand why we’re focusing on the top 10 and top 20 results:
- Top 10: This is where the traffic is at. Rankings here are a must-have for tracking because they represent the positions that actually drive visits to your website.
- Top 20: This range is valuable for spotting opportunities just outside the top results, such as keywords where you or competitors are close to breaking into the first page. Tracking these positions helps you see where small improvements could deliver big gains, and where competitors are gaining traction that might require a quick response.
- Beyond 21: These results provide greater coverage, but come with higher costs when it comes to collecting and processing data. As mentioned above, we plan to make optional offerings available for users who need this increased depth.
Final thoughts
Google’s decision to drop support for the &num=100 parameter is a reminder of how quickly the rules of SEO can change. At Seobility, we’re focused on adjusting quickly and making sure you still get the ranking data you need to stay on top of your SEO.
We’ll continue to update you as we implement our long-term solution. Thank you for trusting us in times of change like this. 💙
