It feels like the world of organic ranking is getting fuzzier by the day. The familiar pattern of moving up the search results and seeing clicks roll in is under serious stress.
Between the December 2024 core algorithm update, the rise of AI-driven search platforms, and now Google’s quiet move to disable the num=100 search parameter, the measurement of ranking has changed fundamentally.
In many cases your monthly ranking report may soon become a relic.
Google’s Tightening Grip on Search Data
Google’s changes are forcing the SEO industry to rethink long-standing measurement practices.
In September 2025, Google disabled the num=100 parameter that many rank-tracking tools depend on.
That parameter allows tools to capture vast numbers of search results. Its removal signals a crackdown on data scraping and mass SERP tracking. As a result, tracking beyond the top 20 results has become less actionable and more about indexing than real visibility.
Google hasn’t officially listed a reason for disabling this function other than saying the parameter “is not something that we formally support.”
Conspicuously vague, as usual.
If you’ve noticed sharp drops in impressions or strange jumps in average position in your Google Search Console (GSC) data, this may be why.
How Rank Tracking Companies Are Reacting
When Google disabled the num=100 parameter, it sent a shockwave through the rank-tracking world. Most of these tools depend on that query string to pull up to 100 results per page for keyword position data. Without it, their systems have to send ten times as many requests or stop at the top 10 or 20 results altogether.
Some tools have already made changes. Platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz have acknowledged that deep-page rankings (positions 50–100) are now less reliable and, in many cases, irrelevant.
As Search Engine Journal reported, many rank trackers are shifting focus from keyword position depth to SERP feature visibility like map packs, video carousels, and AI overviews that now dominate the results page.
Others are quietly rebranding their reporting as “visibility tracking” rather than “rank tracking.” Instead of showing whether you’re #1 for a keyword, they’re showing where your brand appears in different result types and how often users actually see or click your listing.
It’s a sign of the times. Ranking data has always been a moving target. Now it’s being redefined altogether.
If your SEO platform hasn’t addressed the change, assume its data is outdated or inflated. The only ranking worth tracking is the one your customers actually find and click.
The End of the “Position #1” Obsession
For decades, SEO success meant high keyword rankings and volume. Monthly reports focused on dozens of keywords, position changes, and page one results. But that model ignored the changing reality of how people search and how Google serves results.
We hate to break it to you, but ranking #1 today doesn’t guarantee clicks the way it once did.
Features like answer boxes, video snippets, search ads, and AI-driven results often steal attention before a user ever clicks through on your organic position. As a result, the proportion of zero click searches continues to climb by the day.
If your strategy still includes reviewing a spreadsheet of keyword positions at the end of the month, you’re playing by yesterday’s rules.
What to Measure Instead
The next era of search demands new metrics. Focus on things that reflect real business impact:
Clicks and Conversions
Are visitors taking action?
Visibility Within Meaningful Queries
Are you showing up for searches that matter to your business?
Engagement Behavior
Is the visit brief or is the visitor hanging around?
Traffic-to-Lead Ratio
If traffic drops, is lead performance holding steady or improving on those who still visit?
Traffic may be scarcer, but that means every visit counts more than ever. Focus more on your website’s conversion rate and less on total sessions.
Rethinking the SEO Report
The next generation of SEO reports needs to tell a story, not just list keywords. It should show what visibility looks like, how it connects to leads, and where the business is heading. The sooner you shift to performance-based metrics, the sooner you’ll invest in work that moves the needle.
Some people will still expect traditional reports, and some agencies will still provide them out of habit. We’ve stopped doing it as a matter of course. It gives a false sense of how your SEO is performing, especially since AI and zero click searches are devouring so much of the discovery process online.
The New Measurement Mindset
The end of reliable ranking data forces a bigger shift in how we measure success. For years, SEO was built on fixed numbers like rankings, impressions, and traffic counts. Those metrics still matter, but they no longer tell the full story.
The smarter approach is to track behavior and outcomes. Look for patterns in how users find you, how they interact with your content, and where they convert. Use whatever tools you have. Search Console, analytics, CRM, or call tracking can connect visibility to action.
Perfection is a myth in analytics. The real skill is learning to read the signals in an imperfect system and adjust your course with confidence. Modern SEO measurement is less a scoreboard and more a dashboard. It’s a way to steer the ship through change, not prove perfection.
Charting a Smarter Course Forward
Ranking reports are dying, but visibility isn’t. The rules are changing, but the goal remains the same: be found, be chosen, and be trusted.
Your job is no longer just about being in the top position. It’s about being in the right place with the right message at the right time.
At Divining Point, we help brands build strategies suited for the new era grounded in real behavior, not outdated metrics.
If you’re ready to start measuring what truly matters, contact us. Let’s talk.