SEO tool vendors and practitioners reported disruptions tied to Google's handling of the "&num=100" results parameter beginning September 10, 2025. Reports cite failure to retrieve 100 results per page, pagination changes, and downstream rank tracking impact. Google has not issued a public statement.
Key details
- Multiple practitioners reported that forcing 100 results using the &num=100 parameter no longer returns 100 results per page. Posts documenting the behavior appeared on September 10 and 11, including a practitioner report on September 11, 2025.
- Early observations included cases where desktop result pages capped at two pages, with additional pages unavailable after page two, as noted in the same practitioner report above.
- On September 14, 2025, Keyword Insights stated:
Google has killed the n=100 SERP parameter.
The company said the change increases the number of requests required to retrieve full result sets - in some cases by up to 10x - and affects its rankings module.
- Practitioners, including consultant Brodie Clark, reported sharp declines in desktop impressions beginning September 10 in Google Search Console. Clark shared examples showing lower impressions and higher average position, and wrote about the shift on X.
- Clark also published an in-depth analysis linking timing and observed desktop impression changes to the &num=100 behavior.
- Google has not confirmed whether this is a test or a permanent change. No related update appears on Google's official channels.
Background
The &num=100 parameter has been widely used in rank-tracking workflows to attempt to retrieve 100 results in a single request. Many tools depend on consistent pagination to compile daily ranking datasets for the top 100 desktop results.
When single-page retrieval is not available, vendors must query more pages to capture the same range, increasing request volume and the time needed to complete crawling schedules. Practitioners also monitor Google Search Console to track visibility trends; since September 10, some reported lower desktop impressions alongside higher average position.
What to watch
- Rank-tracking vendors may need to adjust crawling schedules, quotas, and infrastructure due to increased request volume.
- Marketers should monitor desktop metrics in Google Search Console, since impression changes may reflect pagination behavior rather than true ranking shifts.
- Some industry commentary suggests the change could be tied to pressure from scraping tools, though Google has not confirmed any motive.
- Watch for an official statement or documentation update from Google.
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