Moz Pro Adapts: Google’s &num= Removal Reshapes SERP Data

The article details the industry-wide ramifications of Google's decision to discontinue the long-standing &num= parameter, a significant technical change impacting how SEO tools, particularly Moz Pro, collect and process Search Engine Results Page (SERP) data. Previously, the &num= parameter allowed users and tools to specify the number of organic results displayed per query, commonly set to &num=100 to gather extensive data efficiently. Its removal means all Google searches now default to displaying only 10 organic results, fundamentally altering the landscape for SERP scraping.

For product developers like Moz Pro, this technical specification change necessitates a complete overhaul of their data collection methodologies. Moz Pro had historically leveraged &num=100 to enrich its datasets within features like Rank Tracker and Keyword Explorer, providing a broader view of competitive landscapes and keyword performance. The immediate impact is a substantial increase in the cost and complexity of data acquisition, as tools must now perform ten times more individual queries to collect the same volume of data that was once available from a single &num=100 query. This directly affects the operational overhead and infrastructure requirements for maintaining their services.

Moz Pro's adaptation involves shifting its focus to accurately reflecting the default top 10 SERP results. While this means less data collected beyond the first page, it ensures that the data provided remains highly relevant to what real users experience and what drives the vast majority of organic traffic. The key benefit for Moz Pro users, primarily SEO professionals, is continued access to reliable, albeit adjusted, SERP data crucial for rank tracking, competitive analysis, and keyword strategy. The product's commitment is to maintain data quality and actionable insights, adapting its algorithms and display to these new constraints. This ensures that despite Google's technical modification, Moz Pro continues to serve its target audience by providing essential tools for navigating the evolving SEO environment, focusing on the most impactful data points.

(Source: https://moz.com/blog/num-100-and-changing-serp-lengths-in-moz-pro)