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Many third-party tools used for tracking Google search rankings are currently experiencing issues and providing inaccurate data. This problem appears to have begun around September 11th, coinciding with Google’s decision to disable the ability to display 100 search results per page. As a result, reports generated by these tools might be skewed or incomplete during this period.
Additionally, the data in Google Search Console has also been inconsistent, adding to the unpredictability. Compounding these challenges is Google’s ongoing Spam update, slated for completion soon, which further complicates the tracking process.
There are discussions suggesting that Google’s recent changes might be an attempt to counter AI scraping tools that heavily access Google search data. Experts speculate that this crackdown could lead to the demise of many existing rank tracking and SERP scraping tools.
Tim from a well-known SEO software company mentioned that Google is removing the “&num=100” parameter, which allowed tools to retrieve the top 100 search results on a single page. This change is significant because it limits the depth of data available for rank tracking and might lead to the disappearance of detailed ranking reports below the top 20 positions.
In response, some tools like AccuRanker have expressed their displeasure with these changes, indicating that the landscape for SEO tracking is becoming much more challenging. Efforts are underway to get clarification from Google regarding these modifications, and some tool providers claim they are unaffected for now.
Until more information becomes available, it’s advisable to be cautious when relying on third-party ranking trackers, as their data might not be entirely accurate at this time.