Google seems to have disabled or is testing the elimination of the &num=100 URL parameter that exhibits 100 outcomes per web page.
Reviews of the change started round September 10, and shortly unfold by way of the search engine optimization group as rank-tracking instruments confirmed disruptions.
Google hasn’t but issued a public assertion.
What’s Taking place
The &num=100 parameter has lengthy been used to retrieve 100 leads to one request.
Over the weekend, practitioners seen that forcing 100 outcomes typically now not works, and in earlier exams it labored solely intermittently, which urged a rollout or experiment.
@tehseoowner reported on X:
Google has seemingly eliminated the power to do &num=100, can anybody affirm?
In case you use the parameter, solely 2 pages present. This “2 pages” filter has been examined for a yr, however often if you happen to clicked to web page 2 they’ve the remainder the highest 100. Now it exhibits nothing after web page 2.
— SEOwner (@tehseowner) September 11, 2025
Key phrase Insights wrote:
‼️ Google has killed the n=100 SERP parameter. As an alternative of 1 request for 100 SERP outcomes, it now takes 10 requests (10x the fee). This impacts Key phrase Insights’ rankings module. We’re reviewing choices and can replace the platform quickly.
— Key phrase Insights (@keywordinsights) September 14, 2025
Ripple Results On Rank-Monitoring Instruments
Clark and others documented instruments displaying lacking rankings or error states because the change landed.
Some platforms’ search engine outcomes web page (SERP) screenshots and day by day sensors briefly stalled or displayed information gaps.
A number of search engine optimization professionals noticed sharp declines in desktop impressions in Google Search Console beginning September 10, with common place rising accordingly.
Clark’s analysis connects the timing of these drops to the &num=100 change. He proposes that earlier desktop impression spikes had been partly inflated by bots from search engine optimization and AI analytics instruments loading pages with 100 outcomes, which might register many extra impressions than a standard 10-result web page.
It is a group idea at this stage, not a confirmed Google clarification.
Re-Inspecting “The Nice Decoupling”
Over the previous yr, many groups reported rising impressions with out matching clicks and related that sample with AI Overviews.
Clark argues the &num=100 change, and the ensuing software disruptions, supply an alternate clarification for at the very least a part of that decoupling, particularly on desktop the place most rank monitoring occurs.
This stays an interpretation till Google feedback or supplies new reporting filters.
What Individuals Are Saying
Clark wrote in regards to the shift after observing important drops in desktop impressions throughout a number of accounts beginning on September 10.
He wrote:
“… I’m seeing a noticeable decline in desktop impressions, leading to a pointy enhance in common place.
“That is throughout many accounts that I’ve entry to and appears to have began round September tenth when the change first begun.”
Key phrase Insights said:
“Google has killed the n=100 SERP parameter. As an alternative of 1 request for 100 SERP outcomes, it now takes 10 requests (10x the fee). This impacts Key phrase Insights’ rankings module. We’re reviewing choices and can replace the platform quickly.”
Ryan Jones suggests:
“All the AI instruments scraping Google are going to end result within the shutdown of most search engine optimization instruments. Persons are scraping a lot, so aggressively for AI that Google is combating again, and breaking all of the search engine optimization rank checkers and SERP scrapers within the course of.”
Concerns For search engine optimization groups
Take a more in-depth take a look at latest Search Console developments.
In case you seen a spike in desktop impressions in late 2024 or early 2025 with out clicks, a few of these impressions could have been pushed by bots. Use the week-over-week modifications since September 10 as a brand new baseline and word any substantial modifications in your reporting.
Test together with your rank-tracking supplier. Some instruments are nonetheless working with pagination or different strategies, whereas others have had gaps and are actually fixing them.
Wanting Forward
Google has been reached out to for remark, however hasn’t confirmed whether or not this can be a momentary take a look at or a everlasting shift.
Instrument distributors are already adapting, and the group is reevaluating how a lot of the ‘nice decoupling’ story stemmed from methodology relatively than consumer habits.
We’ll replace if Google supplies any steering or if reporting modifications present up in Search Console.
Featured Picture: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock
