Google Changes Search Results Parameter, Affecting SEO Tools

Google’s most recent change to the parameter in search results has a direct impact on both analytics and tracking SEO tools.

Google has been reported to have been testing or removing the elimination of the #=100 URL parameter that lets users view 100 results from a search page. The change has caused interruptions in rank tracking software and has led SEO experts to reconsider the metrics of desktop impressions.

Changes In #=100 Parameter.

In the past, the #=100 parameter was able to allow retrieval of up to 100 results in one search. On September 10, SEO practitioners noticed that using 100 results to force them into a search result was not working or stopped being reliable, which could indicate a phased implementation or a test by Google.

SEO analyst @tehseoowner reported on X:

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Keyword Insights shared:

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Ripple Effects

SEO Expert Brodie Clark and other experts documented that different rank tracking platforms displayed the absence of rankings, errors, or data gaps after the changes went into effect. 

A number of users reported dramatic declines in desktop views within Google Search Console beginning September 10th and corresponding increases in the metrics of average position.

Clark’s analysis links the drop in impressions to the parameter adjustment #=100. He suggests that earlier desktop impressions may have been overinflated by bots that use SEO as well as AI analytics tools that load pages with 100 results, thereby increasing impressions when compared to a standard 10 results page.

It is important to consider that this is still a theory of a community until Google confirms it.

Reconsidering the ‘Great Decoupling’ Phenomenon

In the past year, a lot of SEO teams noticed a rapid increase in impressions that were not accompanied by clicks, which is referred to as”the great decoupling.”

Clark suggests that the adjustment of #=100 and the related disruptions to tools could partially explain this trend, especially on desktops, where rank tracking is the most prevalent.

As long as Google updates or comments using tools, this view is regarded as plausible, yet unproven.

Clark wrote:

“… I’m seeing a noticeable decline in desktop impressions, resulting in a sharp increase in average position.

“This is across many accounts that I have access to and seems to have started around September 10th when the change first begun.”

Keyword Insights said:

“Google has killed the n=100 SERP parameter. Instead of 1 request for 100 SERP results, it now takes 10 requests (10x the cost). This impacts Keyword Insights’ rankings module. We’re reviewing options and will update the platform soon.”

Ryan Jones suggests:

“All of the AI tools scraping Google are going to result in the shutdown of most SEO tools. People are scraping so much, so aggressively for AI that Google is fighting back, and breaking all the SEO rank checkers and SERP scrapers in the process.”

Uncertainty and Adaptation

SEOs are urged to study the latest Search Console trends carefully. If you observed a significant increase in desktop views without corresponding clicks between 2024 and the beginning of 2025, some of them may have been driven by bots. 

Take the data that was collected after September 10 to establish a new base for analyzing performance. Contact your rank tracking service for more information, as certain tools have been adapted to pagination solutions, while others are still working on resolving issues with data.

SEO tool makers are currently adapting to the changing landscape, and the community continues to reconsider the extent to which past report anomalies were due to the tracking method instead of genuine user behaviour.

Google has not yet publicly announced whether the change is permanent or a test for a short period of time. Updates will occur when Google gives guidance or when any new Search Console reporting features emerge.

Bottom Line

Google’s calibration for the parameters used to determine search results is an important change in SEO monitoring and analysis, which emphasizes the need for being vigilant and flexible for marketers in an ever-changing search environment.