Google’s removal of the &num=100 SERP parameter is more than a technical adjustment. It’s a reality check on how AI and automation shape search. For months, impression spikes were blamed solely on AI Overviews, but this change reveals that bot-driven scraping inflated the numbers. With cleaner data, businesses now have a truer picture of human behaviour in search, and a clearer understanding of AI’s real, but less catastrophic, impact on clicks and visibility.
Sometimes, the biggest shifts in digital marketing come not from splashy announcements but from subtle Google updates and technical changes. One such change happened earlier this month when Google removed the &num=100 search parameter - a technical adjustment that may look minor to the casual observer but has triggered a wave of disruption in the SEO industry.
For years, SEO professionals and software platforms relied on this hidden feature to pull 100 results in one go. It was efficient, cost-effective, and, for many, essential. Its removal has forced the industry to re-examine how it collects data, how it interprets impressions, and how it prepares for a future where AI-driven search is rewriting the rules.
In this article, we break down what happened, why it matters, how businesses should respond, and what this tells us about the future of search.
What Exactly Changed?
The end of &num=100
On September 10, 2025, SEO platforms began reporting that Google’s hidden &num=100 URL parameter no longer worked. Previously, appending this search results parameter to a query would deliver 100 results on one page rather than the default 10.
For human users, the feature wasn’t well known. But for SEO professionals and software tools, it was a backbone function. A single request could capture 100 rankings at once, enabling efficient rank tracking, competitive analysis, and large-scale scraping for research.
By September 14, the Google Search parameter update was widely confirmed by platforms like Keyword Insights and Semrush. The feature wasn’t broken temporarily. It had been shut off.
Why it mattered so much
To outsiders, losing the ability to see 100 results at once might feel trivial. But behind the scenes, the change forced tools to make 10 requests where one used to suffice. That’s a 10-fold increase in workload and cost.
Why Has Google Done This?
Protecting its infrastructure
The most likely explanation is technical. Over the past two years, scraping by SEO tools has intensified, accelerated by AI’s hunger for training data. Every request puts strain on Google’s servers, and the &num=100 parameter amplified that load.
By removing it, Google reduces the efficiency of mass scraping and, in effect, defends its infrastructure from heavy automated use.
Reducing data leakage to competitors
There’s also a strategic layer. Google has long had an uneasy relationship with SEO platforms, which profit by extracting Google’s data and repackaging it as insights. At a time when AI rivals (like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity) are hungry for search data, Google has every incentive to tighten access.
A commercial angle
Some industry voices speculate a financial motive. More page loads mean more opportunities for ads to be served. While this is less likely to be the primary driver, it cannot be entirely dismissed.
What Does This Mean for SEO and Businesses?
The fallout has been immediate and far-reaching.
Rising costs for SEO tools
Operational costs for SEO platforms have skyrocketed. Fetching 100 results now requires 10 requests, multiplying server loads, proxy usage, and API expenses. Smaller tool providers, already squeezed by Bing API price hikes earlier this year, face an existential challenge.
Implication for businesses: subscription fees may rise, usage caps may tighten, and niche players may fold, leaving enterprises more dependent on larger, consolidated providers.
Rank tracking becomes shaky
In the short term, disruptions were everywhere. Rankings disappeared, fluctuated, or lagged as tools scrambled to adjust. For many users, it looked as though rankings beyond page 2 had vanished.
Implication for businesses: rank tracking is now less reliable, especially for long-tail terms. Companies must expect more “noise” in their dashboards and less clarity in day-to-day reporting.
Search console data shifts
Perhaps the most confusing development has been in Google Search Console. Many accounts saw a sharp decline in desktop impressions after September 10, alongside an apparent improvement in average position.
Why? The prevailing theory is that impressions were previously inflated by bot traffic. Tools loading 100 results at a time artificially boosted impression counts. With those bots gone, the numbers look leaner, but more authentic.
Implication for businesses: marketers must recalibrate their baselines. The “drop” is not a collapse in human interest. It is a correction to more accurate data.
Year-on-year comparisons are compromised
Marketers love to compare performance across years. But with the mechanics of impression counting now altered, those comparisons risk becoming misleading.
Implication for businesses: 2025 will be a year of data discontinuity. Businesses should flag this in all reporting to avoid false narratives.
How Do AI Overviews Fit Into the Picture?
The great decoupling
Since May 2025, SEO professionals have debated the impact of Google’s AI Overviews (AEO). Many reported rising impressions but stagnant clicks, interpreting it as proof that AI summaries were cannibalising organic traffic.
The new theory
The removal of the &num=100 parameter suggests that at least part of the “impression spike” story was an illusion. Bots inflated impressions. With them gone, we now see the true level of human engagement.
This reframes the conversation. AEO does reduce clicks by answering queries directly, but perhaps not as severely as initial data suggested.
Lessons for marketers
1. Don’t overreact to raw impression counts.2. Focus on how users behave when they do click.
3. Recognise that AI is changing search, but separate myth from measurable reality.
What Should Organisations Do Next?
The worst response is panic. The best is adaptation. Here’s how:
Recalibrate your data
Mark the week of September 10 as a baseline shift. Treat pre- and post-change data as separate eras.
Talk to your vendors
Ask your SEO platform how they’re addressing the loss of &num=100. Are they using pagination? Have they adjusted impression modelling? Transparency matters.
Refocus on quality metrics
This is the moment to shift away from vanity metrics. Impressions and rank positions are helpful, but they are not the business outcome. Conversions, leads, and customer lifetime value should drive decision-making.
Educate stakeholders
Executives will see reports showing “impression declines” and may jump to conclusions. Prepare a clear explanation to avoid misinterpretation.
What Does the Future Look Like?
Market consolidation ahead
Smaller SEO tool providers may struggle to survive the cost surge. Larger platforms with diversified revenue streams, such as Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz, will have a competitive advantage. Expect mergers, acquisitions, or closures in the months ahead, as the Google algorithm update 2025 forces consolidation across the SEO tool market.
Subscription model shake-ups
To manage costs, tools may shift to usage-based pricing. Instead of unlimited rank checks, businesses could face keyword caps or tiered plans.
Data diversification
With Google tightening access, marketers will broaden their data sources. Social listening, app store insights, and content discovery platforms will become part of the toolkit.
The AI imperative
Finally, the role of AI in search cannot be overstated. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI engines are already shaping how people find information. SEO is no longer just about Google SERPs. The latest Google algorithm updates make it clear that success requires multi-platform visibility in an AI-first world..
Conclusion
The removal of Google’s &num=100 parameter is more than a technical tweak. It’s a wake-up call. It reminds us how fragile our data pipelines are when they rely on hidden shortcuts, and it signals a future where scraping-driven insights become harder to obtain.
For businesses, the lesson is twofold:
1. Anchor your reporting in meaningful, human-centric metrics.2. Anticipate a world where AI-driven discovery matters as much as traditional search.
The companies that thrive will be those who adapt quickly, embrace new tools, and see disruption not as a threat but as a clarifying moment. Google may have taken away &num=100, but in doing so, it has given us something else: a truer view of how humans search, click, and engage.
How Vajra Helps Businesses Navigate SEO and AI Overviews
At Vajra Global, we understand how quickly changes like Google’s removal of &num=100 can disrupt established SEO practices. Combined with the rise of AI Overviews, these shifts demand a new way of thinking about visibility, data, and strategy.
Our team brings deep expertise in both SEO and AI-driven search, helping businesses recalibrate their reporting, refine keyword strategies, and adapt to multi-platform discovery. By focusing on the metrics that truly matter, we ensure your brand remains visible, credible, and competitive in this new search environment.
