It appears that Google has disabled it or is testing its removal. &num=100 URL parameter that shows 100 results per page.
Reports of the change began around September 10 and quickly spread throughout the SEO community as rank-tracking tools showed disruption.
Google has not yet issued any public statement.
What is happening?
&num=100 The parameter has long been used to get 100 results in one request.
Over the weekend, physicians noted that forcing 100 results no longer worked, and in earlier trials it worked only intermittently, which suggested a rollout or experiment.
@tehseoowner reported on X:
It appears that Google has removed the ability to do &num=100, can anyone confirm?
If you use the parameter, only 2 pages are visible. This “2 pages” filter has been tested for a year, but usually if you click on page 2 they have the rest of the top 100. Now it doesn’t show anything after page 2.
– tehseowner (@tehseowner) September 11, 2025
Keyword Insights wrote:
‼️ Google has eliminated the n=100 SERP parameter. Instead of 1 request for 100 SERP results, it now takes 10 requests (costing 10 times the cost). This affects the ranking module of Keyword Insights. We are reviewing options and will update the platform soon.
– Keyword Insights (@keywordinsights) 14 September 2025
Ripple effect on rank-tracking tools
Clark and other documentation tools show missing rankings or error status as changes occur.
Some platforms’ search engine results page (SERP) screenshots and daily sensors stopped for short periods of time or displayed data gaps.
Many SEO professionals noticed a huge drop in desktop impressions in Google Search Console since September 10, which led to an increase in average position.
Clark’s analysis connects the timing of those drops &num=100 Change. They propose that the first desktop impression spikes were partly driven by bots in SEO and AI analytics tools loading pages with 100 results, which would register many more impressions than a typical 10-results page.
At this stage this is a community theory, not a confirmed Google explanation.
Re-examining “The Great Decoupling”
Over the past year, several teams reported increased impressions without click matching and linked that pattern with AI overviews.
Clark argues &num=100 The changes, and the resulting tool disruption, provide an alternative explanation for at least part of that decoupling, especially on desktop where most rank tracking occurs.
This will remain an explanation until Google comments or provides new reporting filters.
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what people are saying
Clark wrote about the change after seeing a significant drop in desktop impressions across several accounts starting on September 10.
He wrote:
“…I am seeing a significant decline in desktop impressions, resulting in a sharp increase in average positions.
“This is across multiple accounts that I have access to and it appears to have started around September 10th when the change first started.”
Keyword Insights said:
“Google has phased out the n=100 SERP parameter. Instead of 1 request for 100 SERP results, it now takes 10 requests (10 times the cost). This impacts the ranking module of Keyword Insights. We are reviewing alternatives and will update the platform soon.”
Ryan Jones suggests:
“All the AI tools being scraped by Google will result in most SEO tools shutting down. People are scraping for AI so aggressively that Google is retaliating, and breaking all SEO rank checkers and SERP scrapers in the process.”
Ideas for SEO Teams
Take a closer look at recent search console trends.
If you noticed an increase in desktop impressions without clicks in late 2024 or early 2025, some of those impressions may be driven by bots. Use the week-to-week changes from September 10th as a new baseline and note any significant changes in your reporting.
Check with your rank-tracking provider. Some tools are still working with pagination or alternative methods, while others have bugs and are now being fixed.
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looking ahead
Google has been contacted for comment, but has not confirmed whether this is a temporary test or a permanent change.
Device vendors are already adapting, and the community is reevaluating how much of the ‘great decoupling’ story stems from methodology rather than user behavior.
We’ll update if Google provides any guidance or if reporting changes appear in Search Console.
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