Google's num=100 Removal: SEO, AI, and 2025 Strategy Impact

A small URL parameter disappeared, and the global SEO community felt the impact instantly.

In September 2025, marketers around the world opened Google Search Console to find unexpected drops in impressions. After days of confusion, the cause became clear: Google had quietly removed the num=100 parameter — an endpoint that allowed pulling 100 search results in one request.

Although the change wasn’t announced, its effects spread quickly. Rank-tracking tools broke, impression data shifted, and AI systems that depended on large SERP batches faced new operational challenges. This move signals a deeper shift in Google’s strategy: tightening access to search data and reshaping how businesses measure performance.

Below is a complete breakdown of what changed, why it matters, and how brands using SaleSmartly can build resilience in a more controlled, less open data environment.

Google

What the “num=100” Parameter Used to Do

Most users see only 10 results per Google page. But SEO teams relied heavily on num=100 to access deeper rankings.

For years, adding this parameter to a URL (for example, ...?q=seo+tools&num=100) returned up to 100 organic results on a single page.

This was essential for:

Full SERP visibility — Tools could track rankings 1–100 with fewer requests.
Competitor discovery — Marketers identified emerging pages before they reached page one.
Long-tail keyword planning — Many niche queries rank beyond the top 10.

Because this parameter provided so much depth, it became the invisible backbone for keyword research, AI training pipelines, and SEO reporting.

The Immediate Impact: Data Shifts and Tool Disruptions

Search Console Impressions Dropped

Marketers reported 20–40% drops in impressions shortly after September 2025. This didn’t mean performance declined. It meant impression counting changed.

Before the update, automated tools crawling 100 results created artificial impressions for URLs ranked far below where humans typically scroll. With num=100 gone, these ghost impressions disappeared.

The new data is:

Closer to real user behavior
Harder to compare against historical numbers
More volatile for sites ranking beyond page one

SEO Tools Had to Change Their Workflow

Collecting 100 results now requires ten separate requests, which increases:

API costs
Crawl time
Server load

As a result, many tools:

Reduced daily tracking depth (e.g., only top 30)
Increased pricing due to higher infrastructure costs
Rebuilt crawling systems to reconstruct deeper SERPs

This change alters the economics of SEO, not just its methodology.

Why Google Likely Made This Change

1. Reducing Server Load

Serving 100 results per request consumes far more computing resources than serving 10. As AI companies, SEO tools, and data scrapers scaled aggressively, Google had incentives to protect its infrastructure.

2. Strategic AI Positioning

AI models — including those from third-party developers — previously used the num=100 parameter to scrape SERPs efficiently.

By removing it, Google:

Increased their scraping costs more than tenfold
Slowed external AI competitors’ access to fresh search data
Gave its own ecosystem (e.g. Gemini) a comparative advantage

3. Improving Data Authenticity

Because few humans ever see results beyond page one, eliminating bot-created impressions aligns Search Console with actual user behavior. This makes reporting cleaner, though less convenient for analysts.

Data Analysis

The New SEO Reality in Late 2025

The First Page Matters More Than Ever

If tools track only the top 30 and AI systems reference top-ranking content, visibility beyond page one carries much less value.

Therefore, brands must:

Intensify efforts to secure top-10 rankings
Improve content depth and authority
Strengthen technical SEO foundations

Rebuild Your Performance Benchmarks

Marketing teams should:

Set new baselines using data collected after September 2025
Communicate changes clearly to stakeholders
Focus more on CTR and conversions than impressions alone

These steps keep reporting realistically and are aligned with business value.

How SaleSmartly Helps Businesses Adapt (with Real Results & Backing)

Organic search is now less predictable and more expensive to measure. To stay resilient, brands need direct communication channels. This is where SaleSmartly offers a critical advantage.

SaleSmartly is an omnichannel customer-engagement platform. It centralizes multiple communication channels — live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, LINE, Email, Zalo, WeChat, and more — in a unified dashboard.

Here are concrete, real-world use cases, third-party credentials, and credible data to show how SaleSmartly helps mitigate post-num=100 SEO disruption.

✅ Verified Data Security

Ensure compliance with international data protection laws. SaleSmartly maintains ISO27001, ISO 27701, and CCRC certifications for security.

This third-party endorsement significantly strengthens SaleSmartly’s credibility — far beyond self-reported claims, because it comes via a recognized e-commerce platform partnership and aggregated merchant data.

🔧 Key SaleSmartly Features Backed by Documentation + Use Cases

Based on official documentation, SaleSmartly offers:

Omnichannel chat: Integrate LiveChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, Email, WeChat, VKontakte, and more, all into one unified panel.
Automation: Dozens of prebuilt templates and triggers (welcome messages, order-status updates, discount pushes, post-purchase follow-ups), enabling faster responses and improved conversion/follow-up workflows.
CRM & Customer Database: Store complete interaction history, order history, browsing behavior; unify customer data across channels to enable personalized support and marketing.
Team Collaboration & Scalability: Multi-member permissions, automated assignment of conversations, tagging/prioritization workflows, suitable for small stores and scaling brands.
Real-Time Translation: Support for 100+ languages, enabling global customer support without language barriers.
Analytics & Reporting: Track conversation volume, response times, channel performance, customer behavior — enabling data-driven decisions and workflow optimization.

Real-time conversation translation

Example Scenarios (Based on Reported Results)

A cross-border merchant integrated SaleSmartly via Shoplazza. Using omnichannel chat + automation + CRM, they handled increased customer inquiries during a sales event, doubled support efficiency, reduced complaint rate by ~50%, and increased revenue by ~30%.
Some cross-border sellers used the automation workflows to send post-purchase coupons and follow-up messages, which helped improve repeat purchases and customer satisfaction rates (as per SaleSmartly’s marketing case studies).

These real-world results illustrate how SaleSmartly isn’t just a nice-to-have tool. It can directly impact conversion, retention, operational efficiency, and scalability.

Online shop integration

Why SaleSmartly Adds Resilience in a Post-num=100 SEO World

Because organic search data (especially long-tail visibility) becomes more unstable, businesses can no longer rely solely on SERP positions or impressions.

SaleSmartly offers:

Direct customer engagement channels independent of search algorithm changes — you talk directly to real users, not rely on third-party data scraping or ranking depth.
First-party data collection — browsing history, user behavior, conversation context, purchase history. This data belongs to you; Google can't change access to it.
Automation and workflow efficiency — handle high volume chat, scale during traffic spikes, respond quickly across time zones.
Personalization and retargeting via chat / CRM — reach customers who visited but didn’t convert, or follow up for cross-sell/upsell.
Global reach across languages and platforms — ideal for cross-border or multi-market brands facing linguistic or regional fragmentation.

In short: SaleSmartly lets your brand build a direct, controlled relationship with customers — a reliable channel even when SEO unpredictability increases.

What Comes Next: Reconsidering Growth Strategy for 2026 and Beyond

Google’s removal of num=100 is likely just the beginning.

To succeed, businesses should:

Combine search optimization (aiming for top-10 rankings)
With owned channels (CRM + messaging + omnichannel platforms like SaleSmartly)
And AI-powered automation to maintain scalability and efficiency

This hybrid approach builds a more stable customer journey — less reliant on volatile search metrics.

Conclusion: Adaptation Is the New SEO Strategy

The end of num=100 marks a shift in the balance between search engines, AI firms, and marketers. It forces SEO teams to prioritize page-one visibility, adjust reporting frameworks, and rethink how they access data.

But it also creates an opportunity.

With platforms like SaleSmartly, backed by third-party endorsements, and publicly documented merchant success, brands can build their own communication ecosystem: independent, high-conversion, and driven by meaningful customer interactions.

In this new landscape, optimization isn’t just about ranking. It’s about being reachable, relevant, and ready to turn every question into a conversation.

FAQ

1. Why did my Search Console impressions drop in September 2025?

Impressions didn’t necessarily fall. They are now counted differently because automated “deep result” impressions no longer exist. Your data is more aligned with human behavior.

2. How does the update affect AI tools?

AI systems that scraped 100 results per query must now make many more requests, significantly raising their data collection costs.

3. What should marketers do next?

Focus on first-page rankings, rebuild benchmarks using post-2025 data, and diversify traffic sources.

4. How can I use SaleSmartly to offset the impact?

Use its omnichannel dashboard to unify customer communication across all touch-points. Use automation and AI chatbots to handle routine tasks and scale support. Collect first-party data for personalized marketing. Use CRM + analytics to re-engage users who found you via search but didn’t convert.