Why Google Search Console Impressions Dropped Overnight
Why SEOs Are Panicking Over a Tiny Parameter
Imagine waking up, opening Google Search Console (GSC), and seeing your impressions drop by 50% overnight. Clicks are stable, rankings even look better, but the data feels off.You’re not alone. This sudden shift is linked to Google quietly dropping support for the &num=100 parameter — a small but powerful setting that has been the backbone of rank tracking tools, scrapers, and SEO data analysis for years. So, what exactly happened, and what does it mean for your SEO strategy going forward?Want to stay updated on SEO changes? Get Expert SEO Insights
What Is Google’s &num=100 Parameter?
When you perform a Google search, you usually see 10 results per page. By adding &num=100 to the end of a Google search URL, SEOs and tools could force Google to show 100 results at once.For example:https://www.google.com/search?q=seo+tools&num=100
This made life easier for:
Rank tracking tools – Instead of scraping 10 pages, they could fetch 100 results in one request.
SEOs – It allowed quick analysis of deeper rankings (positions 20-100).
Researchers – They could study broader SERP trends without pagination.
What Changed: Google Drops Support for &num=100
In September 2025, SEOs noticed Google was removing or limiting support for this parameter. Instead of showing 100 results per page, Google forces standard pagination again.
Impact so far:
The &num=100 trick no longer works reliably.
Scrapers and rank trackers relying on it broke overnight.
Search Console impressions and positions shifted because fewer low-ranking impressions were being recorded.
Google Search Console performance overview for the past 3 months, showing 33.4K total clicks and 7.76M impressions, with a 0.4% average CTR and an average position of 20.Not sure how these changes affect your site? Get Your Free SEO Audit
Many SEOs saw sharp declines in impressions, sometimes by 30-50%. Here’s why:
Fewer deep impressions recorded – Rankings in positions 50-100 may not be logged as impressions in the same way.
Less bot/scraper activity – Automated tools were previously inflating impressions. With scraping reduced, impression counts dropped.
Average position looks “better” – With low-ranking impressions excluded, average position shifted upward.
If your clicks remained stable, your real traffic isn’t dropping — just the way impressions are recorded.
The Effect on Rank Tracking Tools
This change hit rank trackers the hardest:
Broken scraping methods – Tools that relied on grabbing 100 results per query now must paginate 10 results at a time.
Increased costs – More requests = more bandwidth = higher infrastructure cost.
Data gaps – Many tools temporarily stopped reporting positions beyond the top 20-30 until they adjust.
For SEOs, this means:
Historical ranking reports will look inconsistent.
Fewer deep keyword positions will be visible.
Tools may increase pricing or change methodology.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
So, how should you respond?
Don’t panic over impressions – Focus on clicks and conversions, which reflect real users.
Use impressions carefully – They’re still useful, but don’t compare pre-September and post-September 2025 data directly.
Monitor clicks and CTR – These remain reliable indicators of performance.
Watch tool updates – Expect major SEO tools (Ahrefs, Semrush, AccuRanker, etc.) to roll out fixes soon.
Prioritize top 20 rankings – Since deep positions (50-100) are harder to measure now, focus more on ranking in the visible top 10–20.
