What Just Happened?
If you track search performance, you felt it. The Google num=100 parameter removal in September 2025 changed how results pages load. It also altered how tools collect data. Google confirmed it no longer supports a results-per-page parameter; in practice, standard pages now show about ten results, not 100. As a result, many sites saw impression counts fall and average position “improve” overnight, even though rankings didn’t actually change.
What changed—plain English
Until mid-September, adding &num=100 to a Google results URL forced 100 listings on one page. Rank-tracking tools and scrapers leaned on that trick; so did some power users. Google stopped honoring it. Industry data shows steep drops in Search Console impressions. These drops are noted in tracked keywords across most properties after the switch. Importantly, the change affects measurement, not your real-world visibility.
Why would Google do this? Several reasons line up:
- Reduce automated scraping and abuse. Killing
num=100raises the cost of bulk SERP harvesting. - Nudge pros to official APIs. Expect heavier reliance on Search Console and Custom Search APIs for data access.
- Align with answer-first interfaces. Fewer paginated links complement Google’s AI-overview direction. (Industry inference from coverage and statements.)
The impact you’ll actually see
From San Antonio to Corpus and the I-35 corridor, our SMB clients reported the same pattern:
- Impressions down; average position up. Deep results stopped inflating impression totals; averages look “better” without a ranking lift.
- Fewer “visible” keywords in tools. Trackers can’t grab 100 at a time; coverage looks thinner unless they paginate more (which costs more).
- Clicks and conversions steady. Because user behavior didn’t swing, real business metrics didn’t nosedive.
What Texas SMBs should do next
- Re-baseline your dashboards.
Reset “normal” levels for impressions, avg position, and keyword counts from September 2025 forward. Add an annotation in your reporting. - Prioritize top-10 outcomes, not page-3 vanity.
With fewer results per view, page-one coverage matters even more. Refocus content plans on the queries where you can credibly win the top 3–5 spots. - Measure what pays the bills.
Shift weight from impression totals to CTR, qualified clicks, leads, and revenue. Build monthly reviews around those KPIs, not around keyword inventory swings. - Ask your tool vendors hard questions.
How are they adapting collection methods? Are they paginating more, sampling differently, or leaning on official APIs? Demand a methodology note. - Tune content for “answer engines.”
Structure posts with crisp questions, scannable subheads, summaries, and schema (FAQ, HowTo, Product, Organization). That format feeds AI overviews and rich results. (Industry best practice consistent with the shift.) - Fortify entity and brand signals.
Strengthen E-E-A-T: author bios, local citations, consistent NAP, and first-party references. In an answer-first world, trusted entities surface more often. - Diversify traffic sources.
Grow email, referral, and social so a single SERP tweak doesn’t derail pipeline. (Common recommendation as data access tightens.)
What this signals about the future of SEO in the AI era
- From lists to answers. Google continues to compress choices and elevate summaries. Content that directly answers intent—and marks it up—wins more often.
- Data will be more gated. Scraping shortcuts will fade. APIs, partnerships, and modeled data will power reporting. Expect some tools to raise prices or reduce depth.
- Brand and local authority rise. When users see fewer links, trust matters more. Texas-relevant case studies, reviews, and citations become durable moats.
- UX signals tighten the loop. Engagement and satisfaction correlate with rankings when competition intensifies on page one. Keep pages fast, clear, and persuasive.
How STS will protect your pipeline
- “No-Surprise” reporting. We’ll annotate September 2025 forward, recalibrate baselines, and center reviews on leads and revenue—not noisy impression totals. (Internal alignment with our reporting standards.)
- Answer-optimized content sprints. We’ll refactor priority pages with FAQs, concise takeaways, and structured data to support rich results and AI picks.
- Local proof first. Every campaign gains Texas-centric proof assets: case metrics, ticket MTTRs, backup success %, and security outcomes that convert skeptical buyers.
External source links
- Google confirms results-per-page parameter isn’t supported (Search Engine Land).
- Industry data on impressions/keyword visibility drops (Search Engine Land, LOCOMOTIVE).
- Practitioner analyses of the change (Brodie Clark, ZEO).
- Rank-tracking/collection changes post-num=100 (SerpAPI).
TL;DR for busy owners
The Google num=100 parameter removal didn’t tank your rankings; it changed what tools can see. Re-baseline reports, double down on page-one content, and measure leads and revenue. We’ll handle the technical shifts, and we’ll keep your pipeline predictable in an AI-first search landscape.
