Google Kills &num=100 – Impact on Rank Tracking Tools?

[Lawliet1996]

Just noticed that Google removed support for the num=100 parameter. This means SEO tools like Ahrefs can no longer easily pull the top 100 results for a query. They can only get the first page. Ahrefs confirmed this is affecting their rank tracking beyond page one.

Now I am wondering if this means we cannot track properly anymore. One of my sites is showing keyword drops, so if I publish few new articles will it be harder to see in these tools or will it not show up at all?
( I'm still confusd ) but I think it is not good, we won't be able to track properly if it's ranking beyond 11.

 

[itz_styx]

just use start=10, start=20, start=30 etc ..

 

[vickysan]

just use start=10, start=20, start=30 etc ..

This works but now it's 10 request vs 1 request before the change

 

[itz_styx]

This works but now it's 10 request vs 1 request before the change

i know, but automated its only a problem for someone like ahrefs or if you need to check millions of keywords.. you can run the 10 requests multithreaded so 10 at the same time. will be almost as fast as request.

 

[vickysan]

i know, but automated its only a problem for someone like ahrefs or if you need to check millions of keywords.. you can run the 10 requests multithreaded so 10 at the same time. will be almost as fast as request.

So i guess we should be expecting price bumps i guess because this is gonna increase their costfor sure.

 

[Starblazer]

Subscription plans might cost even more. Google is crippling SEO companies with unrealistic limits.

 

[HenryObi]

Now I am wondering if this means we cannot track properly anymore. One of my sites is showing keyword drops, so if I publish few new articles will it be harder to see in these tools or will it not show up at all?

If the tools are unable to pickup sites on pages beyond page 1, then it'll definitely be harder to see through the tools. But that would have no effect on your ranking.

Interestingly, GSC still shows positions beyond 1.

 

[Ibukole]

This is going to be a real pain in the butt for strategy. Figuring out which keywords and pages to push without being able to track beyond top 10 makes it blindfold SEO. For those of us doing this professionally, some clients won’t sit patiently while we say “wait and trust the process” with no visible progression in reports. That frustration alone will push more SEOs to take bigger risks just to show results.


I posted Ahrefs 's Twitter post earlier in the lounge :

 

[tazarbm]

my question is: what is behind google doing this? These mofos don't do anything randomly, they're denying access to pages 2+ for a reason, so why don't they want us to see what ranks (or what will start ranking) on pages 2 and beyond??

That's what I'd like to know...

 

[satyr85]

Just noticed that Google removed support for the num=100 parameter. This means SEO tools like Ahrefs can no longer easily pull the top 100 results for a query. They can only get the first page. Ahrefs confirmed this is affecting their rank tracking beyond page one.

Now I am wondering if this means we cannot track properly anymore. One of my sites is showing keyword drops, so if I publish few new articles will it be harder to see in these tools or will it not show up at all?
( I'm still confusd ) but I think it is not good, we won't be able to track properly if it's ranking beyond 11.

Sure we can track, just you need to fetch each 10 results in separate request.
Rank tracking will probably cost more.
Most trackers will track first 1-3 pages.

I'm doing around 1500-2000 requests to google every minute, scraping is still possible.

 

[0xse0]

Mobile results do not show pagination.

Just as easy as to build an mobile emulator who clicks on "show more results".

 

[Lawliet1996]

Well, Ahrefs, Semrush, and similar tools are going to struggle, and so will we. Tracking this is going to be tough. Unless they fix it or come up with a workaround, reports and everything else will be heavily affected. Honestly, things just seem to be getting worse over time.

 

[Lawliet1996]

Sure we can track, just you need to fetch each 10 results in separate request.
Rank tracking will probably cost more.
Most trackers will track first 1-3 pages.

I'm doing around 1500-2000 requests to google every minute, scraping is still possible.

If it ends up costing more, only big companies will be able to afford it. These tools are already very expensive.

 

[tiiberius]

It will take much more resources to provide the same data.

The impact will be great price increase probably.

 

[Do_Follow]

Prices should be going the other way and tools be much cheaper.

I don't even use paid tools. Just do keyword research with all available free tools.

 

[V]

my question is: what is behind google doing this? These mofos don't do anything randomly, they're denying access to pages 2+ for a reason, so why don't they want us to see what ranks (or what will start ranking) on pages 2 and beyond??

That's what I'd like to know...

Perhaps they're prioritizing AI-generated snippets for informational content and placing paid results at the top. If tracking rankings beyond page one becomes unreliable, businesses might opt to pay for visibility rather than take a shot in the dark and wait for organic results.

 

[Ibukole]

Perhaps they're prioritizing AI-generated snippets for informational content and placing paid results at the top. If tracking rankings beyond page one becomes unreliable, businesses might opt to pay for visibility rather than take a shot in the dark and wait for organic results.

Welcome to SEO in 2025: bend the knee to Gemini or cough up for Ads. Kill visibility past the top ten and suddenly SEOs are fumbling in the dark while Google gets to play gatekeeper. And just in case anyone thought it was about “user experience,” they shove Gemini and its generic corporate BS on top like a carnival barker, then extort businesses into Ads because hey, where else are you gonna go?

 

[Boostify SEO]

Honestly, I think this change is a bit of a setback for SEOs. Without the num=100 parameter, tools like Ahrefs can’t really give the full picture beyond page one, which makes tracking early keyword movements way harder.

That said, rankings aren’t “gone” they’re just not as visible in third-party tools. I’d lean more on Search Console now since it’s still reliable for impressions and average positions. Publishing new content still works the same, but we’ll probably need to adjust how we measure progress.

 

[smadaleno]

just use start=10, start=20, start=30 etc ..

Yes, the problem is that to keep the SERP consistent without gaps or missing results, you always need to hit the same datacenters with Google’s IP but using the requesting IP. The issue is that Google can also display a captcha on the paginations, so you have to switch proxies, and then you lose consistency. Because yes, the results change depending on the Google datacenter and the source IP…

 

[Zoty]

It mainly affects automated scraping. Tools will adapt with APIs or workarounds, so you’ll still be able to track beyond page 1.