What Is &num=100? How Google Broke SEO — and How Ranktracker Fixed It

Intro

For over a decade, a tiny piece of code quietly powered one of the most important parts of SEO: the &num=100 parameter.

To most internet users, it meant nothing. But to SEO professionals, developers, and rank tracking tools, it was everything.

This single query string — a short instruction added to the end of a Google Search URL — gave full access to all 100 organic results on a single page.

Then, in early 2025, Google took it away.

The result was immediate: entire rank tracking systems broke, keyword visibility vanished, and the SEO industry faced a blind spot it hadn’t seen in years.

But while most platforms accepted defeat and scaled down, Ranktracker rebuilt the full Top 100 tracking system from the ground up — restoring what SEOs had lost.

This is the story of &num=100: what it was, why it mattered, and how Ranktracker brought it back when no one else could.

What Is &num=100?

In its simplest form, &num=100 was a Google Search URL parameter that told Google:

“Show me 100 results per page instead of the default 10.”

If you typed a query like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=seo+tools&num=100

…you would get a full list of 100 organic results — everything from position #1 to #100 — all in one load.

For SEOs, this wasn’t just about convenience. It was about data completeness.

The difference between tracking 10 results and 100 results is massive:

• 10 results = partial visibility (page 1 only)

• 100 results = full competitive picture (all 10 pages)

With &num=100, rank tracking software could efficiently crawl the entire SERP once per keyword query, giving users accurate insights into keyword movements across all pages.

Without it, tools had to make 10 separate requests — one for each page. That meant higher costs, slower updates, and more server load.

Why Google Removed It

In early 2025, SEOs noticed something strange. Tools that had always delivered Top 100 rankings suddenly stopped reporting beyond position 10 or 30.

At first, it looked like a temporary glitch. Then it became clear: **Google had permanently removed the &num=100 parameter.

Search Engine Roundtable confirmed the change after multiple reports from SEO developers and API users. Google no longer accepted requests containing &num=100; every query defaulted back to 10 results per page.

Why the change?

There are a few likely reasons:

1. Server efficiency: Pulling 100 results in one request created heavy loads from automated queries.

2. Crawling limitations: Many tools — from SEOs to AI scrapers — used the parameter to gather large datasets at scale.

3. AI indexing control: With Google moving toward AI Overviews and limited result visibility, restricting &num=100 reduces external crawling and data replication.

In short, Google made the web smaller — and most SEOs didn’t realize how much they depended on that little parameter until it was gone.

The Industry Fallout

When &num=100 disappeared, it didn’t just inconvenience a few engineers — it crippled the core of rank tracking across nearly every SEO platform.

Tools that once fetched complete keyword visibility were forced to adapt overnight:

• Some platforms limited tracking to the Top 30 results (page 3).

• Others increased pricing, as 10× more API calls were now required to fetch the same data.

• A few paused Top 100 tracking entirely, citing unsustainable costs.

For agencies, this meant losing vital competitive context. For enterprise SEOs, it meant reporting gaps and incomplete visibility. For everyday marketers, it meant not knowing where they actually ranked beyond the first page.

The Top 100 might sound like a vanity metric — but it’s not.

Knowing what happens between positions 11 and 100 helps identify growth potential, ranking trends, and algorithm impacts before a keyword breaks into the Top 10. It’s how smart SEOs predict performance and guide long-term strategy.

Without it, the SEO industry became reactive instead of proactive.

Why &num=100 Was So Important

Before its removal, the &num=100 parameter quietly supported almost every part of professional SEO:

1. Comprehensive Rank Tracking

It allowed platforms like Ranktracker to deliver daily updates for all tracked keywords — from position 1 to 100 — in one efficient call.

2. SERP Intelligence

Analysts could map out who appeared across the entire search landscape, not just the top 10. That meant seeing emerging competitors and content types.

3. Trend Analysis

With 100 results per query, it was possible to track volatility, new entrants, and shifting SERP compositions over time.

4. AI and Data Models

Many SEO and AI tools relied on complete SERP datasets to train ranking prediction models. The loss of full data disrupted that ecosystem.

Ranktracker’s Response: Rebuilding What Google Took Away

While most rank tracking platforms reduced functionality, Ranktracker took a different approach.

The engineering team spent months rethinking how SERP data could be collected, restructured, and refreshed — without relying on &num=100.

The result?

Ranktracker became the first SEO platform to restore full Top 100 Google result tracking — updated daily.

By developing new systems that mimic Google’s data structure at scale, Ranktracker rebuilt the same depth of visibility that the &num=100 parameter once provided — without breaking compliance or accuracy.

This means every keyword, every day, every result — from position 1 to 100 — is tracked and refreshed with precision.

And unlike other tools that raised prices after the change, Ranktracker kept its pricing exactly the same.

The Technical Challenge

Rebuilding full Top 100 tracking wasn’t simple.

Each SERP now requires up to 10 separate data requests instead of one. That means:

• 10× the data load

• 10× the parsing complexity

• 10× the infrastructure cost

But instead of scaling back, Ranktracker optimized its system to handle that load efficiently. Advanced caching, parallel processing, and distributed computing now allow Ranktracker to track the full Top 100 per keyword — without delays or downtime.

The end result:

✅ True daily Top 100 visibility

✅ Accurate ranking shifts across all pages

✅ Full SERP insights others can’t provide

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

In the AI-driven search era, every piece of SERP data matters.

Google is compressing information into shorter, curated experiences — AI overviews, snippets, and entity-driven results — making visibility beyond page 1 even harder to measure.

That’s why full Top 100 tracking is critical. It shows the hidden competition, emerging pages, and the long-tail climb that leads to first-page breakthroughs.

While other tools are showing less, Ranktracker is showing more.

And the best part? It’s available to everyone — no enterprise upgrade required.

A Message to SEOs: The Top 100 Is Back

The removal of &num=100 could have marked the end of full SERP tracking. Instead, it became the beginning of a new era for Ranktracker.

By rebuilding what Google removed, Ranktracker restored the transparency and completeness that SEO professionals depend on.

Now, for the first time since Google’s change:

• You can track all 10 pages of search results again.

• You can see positions 1–100 updated daily.

• You can access the full competitive picture that others can’t.

So while the industry scaled down, Ranktracker scaled up.

The Bottom Line

&num=100 might have started as a simple parameter — but it represented something much bigger: freedom, visibility, and control over SEO data.

Google took it away. Ranktracker brought it back.

Now, SEOs can once again see the complete landscape, measure true performance, and make smarter, data-driven decisions — all with the depth they deserve.

Because the search doesn’t end at page 1 — and neither should your data.