Google Removed &num=100: What It Means for SEO

What Has Happened

• • The &num=100 parameter allowed tools to collect 100 results per page with a single request, efficiently gathering ranking and impression data.

• • With the parameter removed, tools must now fetch data in smaller batches (~10 results per request), increasing the load, slowing reporting, and occasionally resulting in gaps or missing keyword data.

• • Google Search Console (GSC) has already shown the effect with many properties seeing drops in impressions (mainly on desktop), and average positions appear higher, though actual rankings and traffic for real users are unaffected.

Why This Matters

This change is primarily about data measurement, not SEO performance. Key implications include:

• • Reporting shifts: Metrics like impressions and average positions are now affected by the reduction of bot-generated impressions that previously inflated data. Year-over-year comparisons may be distorted.

• • SEO tool operations: Rank tracking and scraping tools now require more requests to gather the same datasets, which may increase operational costs and delay reporting. Some vendors are adjusting default tracking depths (e.g., top 20 instead of top 100).

• • Perception vs reality: Drops in impressions or shifts in average position should not be interpreted as performance declines. Real user metrics like clicks, CTR, and conversions will remain the most reliable indicators.

Recommendations

1. 1. Adjust reporting expectations
      • • Expect the impact and understand that GSC impressions may remain lower for up to 12 months, making year-over-year comparisons tricky.
   2. Focus on real user engagement metrics
      • • Place greater emphasis on clicks, conversions, engagement time, and other behavioural metrics rather than raw impressions or ranking positions beyond the top 10–20 results.
   3. The key thing to remember here is that this is a reporting and measurement change, not a ranking or traffic decline

Is There Cause For Concern?

While the change is not a direct impact to overall SEO performance, there are areas to watch

• • Gaps in historical comparisons: Impression data may appear artificially low for several months.

• • Tool reliability: Some rank tracking dashboards may temporarily show missing or delayed keyword data.

• • Operational costs: Increased requests for data collection could impact subscription costs over time.

The change is an opportunity to refocus reporting on meaningful, user-centered metrics and reconsider how we interpret historical GSC and tool data.

If you’d like to talk through how this change impacts your reporting, our SEO team are here to help.