Google’s Removal of &num=100 Parameter: What SEOs Must Do Now to Protect Rankings & Search Console Metrics
Introduction In early September 2025, SEO professionals began noticing something strange: a sudden drop in desktop impressions in Google Search Console (GSC), an apparent rise in average position, and rank-tracking tools failing to retrieve data beyond certain positions. The culprit? Google appears to have disabled or is testing the removal of the &num=100 URL parameter, which used to let users pull up 100 search results in a single page. This update has important ramifications for SEO, analytics, tool costs, ranking visibility, and reporting accuracy. In this post, you’ll learn what changed, why it matters, how to adapt, and what to watch out for. If you're managing websites, running SEO tools, or monitoring rankings, this is essential reading. Table of Contents What Is &num=100 Parameter? What Changed & When Key Effects on SEO Tools & Reporting Why This Change Matters (Beyond Metrics) How to Adapt / Mitigation Strategies Tools & Wor...