If you’ve recently looked at your SEO reports and noticed fewer keywords showing up or gaps in your ranking data, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s not just you — it’s everyone in the SEO industry.
Over the last few weeks, Google quietly made a change that affects every keyword tracking tool on the market, including the third-party platforms we use (like Ahrefs). This shift doesn’t affect your actual rankings or traffic, but it does change how we see and report on certain data behind the scenes.
At Think Cre8tive, transparency is everything. So we wanted to break down what’s happening, how it impacts reports, and most importantly, how we’re adapting to make sure you still have clear, accurate, and actionable insights.
What Changed and Why It Matters
For years, SEO tools have relied on a small line of code called a “URL parameter” to collect ranking data from Google search results. One of those parameters, known as “&num=100”, allowed these tools to view up to 100 search results at once for any given keyword.
That meant when a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush analyzed your keyword “tree trimming Dallas,” it could pull results all the way down to position 100 (page 10 of Google). This let marketers track not just the keywords performing well, but also those on the verge of breaking into page one — often called “striking-distance keywords.”
Recently, Google disabled this parameter, and it no longer works. Now, those same tools can only access the first page of results (roughly the top 10 positions).
Why Google Made This Change
Google hasn’t made an official announcement, but industry experts at Search Engine Land, Brodie Clark SEO, and Logical Position suggest several likely reasons:
- Reducing automated scraping: This change makes it harder for bots and tools to collect mass data from search results.
- Protecting search integrity: Google is constantly refining how search data is accessed to prevent spam and manipulation.
- Encouraging use of verified data sources like Google Search Console instead of indirect scraping methods.
Whatever the reason, the outcome is the same: keyword tracking tools can now see less data.
What This Means for You
Here’s the good news:
Your website’s rankings, visibility, and SEO performance haven’t changed.
This update affects how third-party platforms display ranking data — not how your site actually performs on Google.
In plain terms:
- The keywords where you’re ranking on page one are still tracked accurately and consistently.
- The keywords that were on page two or beyond may no longer show up in some reports.
- Your traffic, leads, and conversions are unaffected by this technical change.
That said, the missing “beyond page one” data was useful for identifying growth opportunities, spotting trends, and planning optimizations. Losing that layer means the data story looks a little different now — but we’re already adapting.
What You’ll Notice in Ahrefs and Other Reporting Tools
If you use Ahrefs (the primary keyword tracking tool we rely on at Think Cre8tive), here’s what you might notice:
1. Some Keywords Show “—” or “Not Found”
Before the update, Ahrefs could display every keyword your site ranked for up to position 100.
Now, you might see something like this in your reports:

This doesn’t mean your page disappeared from Google — it just means the tool can’t “see” it anymore.
2. “Top 100 Keywords” Counts May Drop
You may see a sudden dip in total ranked keywords.
Example:
| Date | Total Ranked Keywords (Top 100) | Notes |
| September 2025 | 380 keywords | Before Google’s change |
| October 2025 | 210 keywords | After the update — deeper results hidden |
This is not a drop in performance. It’s simply fewer visible results from Google’s side.

3. Page One Rankings Are Still Solid
The first-page data (positions 1-10) remains completely accurate and is still updated daily.
That means your key performance metrics such as organic traffic, conversions, and visibility, are still measured reliably.
What the Industry Is Saying
You’re not the only one seeing these changes. This update has affected every SEO agency, freelancer, and enterprise tool around the world.
Here’s what some trusted sources are saying:
- Search Engine Land reports that “adding &num=100 to a search results URL no longer adds 100 results per page,” calling it a “disruption to every third-party rank-tracking system.”
- Brodie Clark, an SEO thought leader, dubbed it “The Great Decoupling” — Google’s gradual separation of public data access from internal systems.
- Logical Position explains that this change “has broken rank tracking as we know it” and forced every vendor to adjust data collection methods.
- SpyFu and Practical Ecommerce also confirmed that rank-tracking systems will have to rebuild how they gather deeper data sets.
So while the short-term visibility gap is inconvenient, the entire SEO industry is moving quickly to adapt — and so are we.
How Think Cre8tive Is Adapting
Our team has already taken several steps to minimize disruption and keep your SEO reporting reliable, transparent, and useful.
1. Prioritizing the Metrics That Matter
The majority of all clicks happen on the first page of Google. According to Backlinko’s latest study, the top three organic results capture over 68% of all clicks.
Because of that, our focus continues to be on driving and maintaining strong first-page performance. That’s where the visibility and leads happen — and that’s the part of ranking data that remains completely intact.
2. Supplementing with Google Search Console (GSC) Data
Google’s own platform, Search Console, still provides reliable metrics for impressions, clicks, and average position.
We’re integrating that data more prominently in reports to fill in any missing insights.

3. Manual Verification of Key Terms
For your highest-value keywords (especially those near page one), our team manually verifies rankings using incognito search methods and location-specific checks. This ensures the most critical keywords are tracked accurately, even if automation can’t see them all.
4. Tracking Competitors More Closely
While rank tracking has changed, competitive positioning still provides strong insights. We’re doubling down on monitoring how your competitors appear in local results, featured snippets, and Google Maps — areas that remain unaffected by the update.
5. Adjusting Reporting & Communication
Your upcoming reports will include:
- Clear notes explaining any “missing” or “no data” fields
- Distinctions between tracking limitations and actual ranking changes
- Expanded commentary focused on what’s working, what’s shifting, and what we’re doing next
By communicating these changes openly, we’re making sure you have full context for every data point you see.
6. Staying Ahead of Tool Updates
Ahrefs and other analytics providers are already testing new ways to gather deeper ranking data without relying on the &num=100 parameter.
Our team is monitoring these developments closely and will integrate improved tracking as soon as it’s available.
Why This Doesn’t Impact Your Long-Term SEO Growth
We know it can be unsettling when something “breaks” in a report. But the truth is: your actual SEO performance isn’t affected.
Your pages are still ranking where they were before. Users can still find you. The only change is how much we can see below page one.
In the bigger picture, this shift actually highlights something positive — Google continues to evolve, and our focus on quality, authority, and relevance is exactly what keeps your brand growing no matter how the algorithms or data pipelines change.
Think Cre8tive’s approach has always been built around adaptability. Whether it’s AI-driven search, new ranking signals, or API restrictions, we’ve weathered dozens of updates like this one — and each time, our clients come out stronger.
What You Can Expect Moving Forward
Here’s how we’re continuing to deliver reliable insights and performance-driven strategy in this new environment:
- Transparent communication: Every report will note when data limitations exist so you always know what’s real.
- Action-oriented insights: We’ll focus on what you can do now — optimizing pages, targeting new content, and improving conversion pathways.
- Expanded context: We’ll pull from additional data sources (Search Console, Google Analytics, competitor tracking) for a complete view.
- Proactive updates: When Ahrefs or other partners release improved tracking tools, we’ll integrate them immediately.
Ultimately, our goal remains the same: helping your brand grow visibility, authority, and revenue online — regardless of the tools or rules of the moment.
A Final Word from Think Cre8tive
The search landscape evolves constantly. Google’s latest change is just one more reminder that SEO is about strategy, not shortcuts.
While tools come and go, our commitment to transparency, adaptation, and results never wavers. We’re staying proactive, we’re keeping you informed, and we’re ensuring your marketing investment continues to pay off — regardless of how the data is delivered.
If you ever have questions about your rankings, reports, or SEO strategy, our team is here to walk you through every detail.
We’ll keep watching the tools, monitoring Google’s updates, and evolving right alongside them so you don’t have to.
Recent Comments