Google’s num=100 Change: What It Means (and Doesn’t Mean) for Your Business

Earlier this month, Google quietly disabled the $num=100 parameter, which allowed SEO tools to load 100 search results in a single request. has stirred up a lot of emotions across the SEO community. Let’s break down what it all means so you know if you should freak out or not. 

Google just disabled a little-known but widely used shortcut in the SEO world: the num=100 parameter. For years, it has let tools and power users load 100 search results in a single request. Earlier this month, in a somewhat technical update, Google quietly disabled it, and the SEO community immediately lit up with questions, hot takes, and doomsday predictions.

Here’s the reality. This isn’t a traffic crisis. It’s a reporting reset.

If you’ve seen sudden impression drops in Search Console or heard chatter about tools limiting their tracking depth, this is why. But don’t confuse a measurement shift with a performance decline. Your customers aren’t vanishing. Only the way we count them is.

What is num=100?

Normally, when you search Google, you see 10 results per page. The num=100 setting lets SEO tools (and users, if they want) view all 100 results on one page instead of clicking through 10 separate pages.

• This made it faster and cheaper for rank trackers to collect data.
• It also inflated some reporting, since bots loading all 100 results counted as impressions that real users weren’t actually seeing.

Now that Google has disabled it, tools need to make up to ten separate requests to get the same data, which costs more, takes longer, and changes how impressions are recorded.

Alright, now we’re up to speed.

How the industry is reacting

Third-party tools like Ahrefs have confirmed the change reduces how deep they can reliably track results, though their regular data updates and core metrics like keyword rankings, organic traffic estimates, and backlink data remain unaffected.

Other rank trackers, like SEMrush, are adjusting: like limiting depth to Top 20 results, while others are exploring costlier workarounds.

What We’re Seeing Across Clients

At Ten Speed, we’ve seen a lot of what you’d expect:

• Drops in impressions in Google Search Console data, but no corresponding drop in clicks or traffic.
• Improved average positions due to lower-ranking results no longer inflating impression counts.
• Stable conversion and pipeline metrics reinforce that this is a measurement shift, not a real-world performance decline.

Implications for Businesses

• Don’t panic over impression drops. They’re largely a reporting artifact and a leading indicator in specific scenarios. Your visibility to real users hasn’t disappeared.
• Rethink benchmarks. September 2025 marks a new baseline for Search Console impression data. However, clicks and traffic remain comparable to historical periods.
• Expect tooling shifts. Some third-party providers will adapt quickly; others may lag. Keep in touch with your SEO partners about what’s changing under the hood.
• Potentially higher costs for SEO tools. Because rank trackers now need to make 10 separate requests instead of 1, data collection is slower and more expensive. That added infrastructure cost could eventually be passed along to users.

Be on the lookout for that last one. Hopefully, we don’t see our favorite tools raising prices on us in the coming months.

Key Takeaways

1. Clicks, Conversions, Pipeline > Impressions. Judge success by what drives business outcomes, not vanity metrics. While impressions can signal visibility trends, they don't pay the bills. Focus on metrics that directly correlate with revenue and customer acquisition.
2. Stay adaptable. As with AI Overviews, scraping restrictions, and algorithm updates, the only constant in SEO is change. The most successful SEO strategies are built on fundamentals (great content, technical health, user experience) that weather these shifts.
3. Context matters for data interpretation. Not every dip in the charts represents a crisis. Understanding what's behind the numbers (whether it's a measurement change, seasonal trend, or actual performance shift) prevents unnecessary pivots and keeps you focused on real opportunities.

At the end of the day, this isn't a worrisome moment for SEOs. Not every change is a moment to panic about. If you are, then you may not be focused on the most important things: delivering value to users and driving measurable business growth.

👉 If you’re unsure how to interpret these reporting shifts, or want confidence that your SEO strategy is tied to metrics that truly impact revenue, Ten Speed can help. We specialize in cutting through the noise of impressions and rankings to focus on what actually grows your business.

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