Google Killed the &num=100 Parameter: Here's What SEO Tools Are Doing About It

Google quietly removed the &num=100 parameter in September 2025, messing up SEO rank tracking across the board. If you're seeing incomplete data in your dashboards or wondering why your rankings suddenly cap out at page 2, this is why.

As someone who manages 500+ websites through Bright Vessel Digital Solutions and sits on the WooCommerce Advisory Board, I validated this change immediately when client dashboards started showing gaps. Here's what actually happened and what it means for your SEO tracking.

What Google Actually Broke

For years, SEO tools used &num=100 to pull 100 search results in one request instead of scraping 10 pages. It was simple, efficient, and cheap.

Google killed it on September 10-11, 2025. No warning, no announcement.

The impact:

• Tools now need 10 separate queries for the same data
• Costs increased by 10x overnight
• Many tools capped results at position 20
• Historical data shows gaps from September forward

Barry Schwartz confirmed the change at Search Engine Roundtable, and Search Engine Journal documented the cost implications.

How Major SEO Tools Responded

What This Means for Your SEO Strategy

Higher Costs Are Coming

Tools that maintain full tracking will pass increased costs to users. Expect 25-40% price increases over the next year.

Limited Visibility Hurts Long-Tail SEO

If you track keywords gradually moving from positions 50+ into higher visibility, you're now flying blind with many tools.

Historical Data Is Broken

September 2025 creates a permanent break in trend data. Client reports look inconsistent, and you need to explain the gaps.

Tool Diversification Becomes Critical

Relying on a single rank tracker is now risky. We use multiple tools and cross-validate data to maintain accuracy.

Recommended SEO Tool Stack

Based on our testing across 500+ client websites:

Primary Tracking:

• seoClarity - Complete data, slower reports
• STAT - Pagination solution works well

Supplemental Validation:

• SEMrush - Different methodology, good backup
• Google Search Console - First-party data for validation
• Manual spot-checks for critical keywords

Alternative Solutions:

• Sistrix - European tool with different data collection
• SpyFu - Historical data for competitive analysis

How We're Handling This at Bright Vessel

Our approach for managing SEO programs across 100+ Endeavor Schools locations and other enterprise clients:

Multi-Tool Validation

• Primary: seoClarity for complete datasets
• Secondary: STAT for historical consistency
• Validation: Google Search Console data
• Manual: Critical keyword spot-checks

Enhanced Google Tag Manager Setup

We've strengthened our Google Tag Manager implementations with server-side tracking through Stape.io to capture more granular organic performance data.

Client Communication Strategy

• Document the September 2025 change in all reports
• Explain gaps in historical trend data
• Shift focus to performance-based metrics (traffic, conversions)
• Supplement with Google Search Console insights

Bottom Line

Google's &num=100 removal isn't just a technical change - it's a strategic move to limit third-party access to search data. More restrictions are likely coming.

Tools that still work well:

• seoClarity (complete but slow)
• STAT (paginated solution)
• Google Search Console (first-party data)

Tools with significant limitations:

• Ahrefs (top 20 only)
• Accuranker (top 20 only)

The SEO industry has survived worse Google changes. Agencies that adapt quickly and maintain measurement sophistication will come out ahead. Those still relying on single tools and basic rank tracking will struggle.

At Bright Vessel, we've built redundancy into our measurement stack for situations like this. When Google changes the rules without warning, having multiple data sources and validation processes keeps client reporting accurate and trustworthy.