Time to read: 3 minutes
In early September, Google rolled out a new update that removed the ability for keyword tracking tools and other marketing platforms to use “&num=100” (sometimes called n=100) as a UTM parameter, which allowed the tool’s scrapers to view 100 results on a single search results page.
Dubbed by SEOs as the “Great Decoupling,” the change makes it so scraper tools are now limited to seeing 10 results per page, which makes it harder for platforms to gather large amounts of data to present to platform users.
Here Is What You Need to Know
- This shift is now forcing tools to completely overhaul how they collect data, so many rankings in September may be off. Due to this, be careful when comparing your current data to previous months and years.
- Until the dust settles, be sure to keep a closer eye on CTR, clicks, and conversion metrics rather than just impressions. They’re less likely to be distorted by the change.
- It may be best to prioritize terms in the top 10 or top 20 results in your keyword tracking platforms, as deeper rankings at positions 30 or higher are harder for tools to track, so the data may not be as accurate.
- Ask your SEO vendor if they’re aware of the situation, and what tool they use and if it was impacted. For example, we use SE Ranking, and, luckily for us, they were one of the first tools to fix the issue!
- Keep in mind that due to the extra work marketing platforms will now have to implement, it may mean extra costs for you.
So, Why is My Search Console Data Messed Up?
If your Search Console impressions took a nosedive lately, don’t panic because you’re not alone! Here is an explanation from our SEO Director Brian Gorman:
Rumors on Why Google Did This
Search Engine Land was able to get in touch with a Google spokesperson, who stated:
“The use of this URL parameter (&num=100) is not something that we formally support.”
Many marketers believe that this change was an intentional move by Google to reduce external tracking services abusing its systems. Even more convincing, as pointed out by Brodie Clark on X, is that a few weeks ago it was announced that ChatGPT had started to use SerpApi to scrape Google’s search results:
So, the assumption that has emerged is that Google is trying to make it harder for AI to use the platform’s results, in turn helping their own AI tools like AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini to have the upper hand.
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