Google Update and Impact to Top 100 SERP Data Collection
- Industry News
- By Jenny Li
- 2 minutes read
The SEO community was hit with a significant, unannounced change last week: Google has effectively disabled the ability to view 100 search results on a single page. This move sent a shockwave through the industry, fundamentally altering how search data has been collected for years and impacting virtually every rank-tracking tool.
The Change: What Happened and Why It Matters
For years, SEO professionals and data platforms have used the &num=100 URL parameter to retrieve 100 search results at once. This was a standard method for efficiently understanding the competitive landscape for a given keyword.
As of mid-September 2025, this parameter no longer functions reliably. Google now serves results in smaller, paginated batches, making the process of collecting data beyond page one significantly more complex and resource-intensive for all data providers.
In response to this industry-wide challenge, some platforms have publicly stated that this will reduce the number of results they can check beyond the first page, while others have shifted focus to the stability of Top 10 or Top 20 results.
Conductor’s Initial Approach: Prioritizing Data Continuity
The moment this change occurred, Conductor’s engineering team quickly began developing a new data collection methodology. Our priority was to prevent any disruption or data loss for our customers.
We have already deployed a new, more intensive collection method that, for now, maintains the full 1-100 position tracking our customers rely on. This immediate action ensured a smooth initial transition and protected the integrity of our customers' data during a period of industry-wide uncertainty.
Our Commitment: Transparency for the Road Ahead
Successfully navigating this change for our customers was a critical first step, but the landscape is still evolving. This new collection method is more complex, and like all platforms, we are actively analyzing the long-term operational and strategic implications.
Our commitment is to be fully transparent as we complete this analysis. We will always work to find a solution that offers the best balance of data depth, reliability, and value for our customers.
You can have confidence that as the ground shifts, we will navigate the changes with you, communicating openly and always aiming for the solution that best serves your business.
