Google has quietly changed how its search results pages work, effectively capping the visible results to the first page of 10 links. In mid-September 2025, the search giant disabled the &num=100 parameter that previously allowed viewing the top 100 results of any query on one page. This change means that rank tracking and SEO monitoring tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can no longer pull more than the first 10 results in a single go, disrupting how SEO specialists and digital marketers monitor keyword rankings beyond page one.
Industry impact
Many tools relied on the 100-results feature to assess a site’s presence across pages 2–10 of Google’s results. Now, with the cap in place, tracking beyond the first page has become significantly more limited. You may have noticed your graphs or reports for keywords ranking in positions 11+ suddenly dropping off or vanishing – this is a direct result of Google’s change. Importantly, the frequency of rank tracking updates isn’t affected, but the volume of data per keyword is reduced because only page-one rankings are readily available.
Adapting to the change
Most SEO tools are scrambling to adapt to this new normal. Some have built partial workarounds to fetch deeper results (for example, splitting queries into 11–20, 21–30, and so on), but these methods are resource-heavy and fragile — and may break entirely if Google continues tightening restrictions. Others are limiting advanced SERP tracking to enterprise tiers, leaving smaller teams with reduced visibility.
Query Catch takes a different approach
Instead of relying on scraped SERP data, Query Catch integrates directly with verified first-party sources like Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA). This means you get accurate, policy-compliant performance insights straight from Google itself — including keyword trends, content opportunities, and visibility tracking that isn’t affected by changes to public SERP access.
As a Google-verified platform, Query Catch translates your real search data into actionable insights and competitive opportunities, helping you make smarter SEO decisions even as the external data landscape shifts.
Looking forward
Google’s move underscores how the search landscape is tightening around data access and scraping. While it poses challenges for traditional rank-tracking models, it also highlights the importance of first-party and verified data sources. Platforms like Google Search Console remain the most reliable way to measure visibility directly from Google, while tools like Query Catch bring together verified search data with actionable insights to give you a truer picture of performance.
