Last month, Google quietly disabled the “&num=100” parameter, which allowed users to view the first 100 search results for any query. If you’re not familiar with SEO tools and strategies, this may not seem like a big deal. But in fact, it has shaken the entire industry. While the first page of a search engine results page (SERP) always captures the most clicks and is thus the most valuable, exploring deeper rankings has provided helpful insights for content optimization and performance monitoring for years.
So, let’s discuss how we plan to adapt. Change is inevitable, and by facing this update head-on and focusing on what truly matters for our clients and their customers, we can stay the course and continue to offer exceptional SEO results.
Embracing a New Era of SEO Analytics
What’s Happening
Because “&num=100” no longer functions as it once did, SEO data providers like Ahrefs won’t be able to provide extensive SERP data for search terms. Instead, these providers will only be able to see the websites that appear on Google’s first page. And yes, the first page has the most valuable rankings — but analyzing the rankings beyond the first page could be quite helpful. At least for now, that’s no longer an option.
Because this change was made without warning or transparency, at the same time as AI overviews and generative results take up more space at the top of SERPs, many marketing professionals have been both concerned and confused. A week after the change, a Google spokesperson stated simply, “The use of this URL parameter is not something that we formally support.” They did not clarify why the change was made.
While we can’t revive the “&num=100” parameter, we can pivot and respond strategically.
How We’re Responding
At 417 Marketing, we’re focused on sourcing leads, securing conversions, and optimizing our clients’ websites in ways that help them grow their businesses and increase revenue. Because of that, this change doesn’t really matter. While it’s nice to track how many keywords our clients rank for in the top 100 results of SERPs, it’s not essential to do so. A shift in our ability to track keyword rankings doesn’t change how much money we make for our clients in the form of new business opportunities, stronger customer relationships, or increased sales.
Moving forward, we will continue to do what we’ve always done: tracking and optimizing for the conversions that drive your business forward. Since we now have less visibility into low-ranking keywords, we will conduct more in-depth analyses of our clients’ websites to identify opportunities for improvement. We’ll hone in on what real consumers and potential customers care about — not just what Google displays on page 5. Additionally, recognizing the prevalence of AI-generated results, we’ll aim to help our clients appear in Google’s AI Overviews and responses produced by AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
And since we can still track the top 10 positions of SERPs, we will continue doing that as well.
We’re committed to adapting alongside the web marketing industry, and we’re confident that this approach will continue to deliver the growth you expect. So, if you hear any industry buzz about this change, rest assured that we’re staying focused on what actually matters: conversions and ROIs, not vanity metrics for keywords ranked in positions 11-100.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Are you ready to take your website to the next level? 417 Marketing is here to help. We can help you build a beautiful, well-organized, and high-ranking website with a top-of-the-line AI chatbot. Our team of knowledgeable, creative, and passionate professionals specializes in SEO, web design and maintenance, and Google Ads and has successfully completed over 700 websites. Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your company.