Why Did Google Do This?
The change, introduced without fanfare, is believed to be aimed at reducing scraping and automated data pulls from SERPs, which were commonly used by SEO tools, AI models, and even some competitors. Now, users can only access 10 results per page, making it much more difficult to audit deep keyword rankings and to aggregate large sets of search data quickly.
What Changed for SEOs and Site Owners?
- The top 10 results are now the only ones easily accessible, which means “page one or bust” is truer than ever before.
- Most SEO monitoring platforms—like Ahrefs, Semrush, and even Google Search Console—were immediately affected, often reporting sharp drops in impressions and keyword visibility for many sites.
- 77% of websites reportedly saw a significant decline in keyword visibility as soon as the change went live, due to the loss of bot-driven impressions for lower-ranked results.
How Does This Affect Your SEO Reporting?
- Expect to see abrupt drops in impressions and a seeming “improvement” in average ranking position. This is a technical artifact, not a penalty to your site.
- Tools can no longer reliably show your rankings past the first or second page, so much of the data on deep rankings and long-tail keyword positions is now lost or distorted.
- Your website’s actual traffic and conversions may remain stable, but your reports will look quite different.
What Should Website Owners and SEOs Do Now?
- Audit your dashboards and tracking tools; mark September 2025 as a break point in your analytics.
- Focus your efforts on page one rankings, featured snippets, and entities that Google and AI engines can surface easily.
- Diversify tracking: Don’t rely solely on Google Search Console for keyword visibility. Blend insights from branded search trends, page-level performance, and AI platform results.
- Explain to stakeholders that recent drops in impressions or keyword lists are about a fundamental shift in how data is collected—not a sign that your overall visibility or SEO value has tanked.
The Bottom Line
Google has fundamentally changed how ranking, SEO reporting, and keyword tracking work across the industry. Now more than ever, those aiming for long-term search visibility must treat first-page rankings as imperative and adjust strategy, measurement, and reporting to thrive in this new landscape.
For guidance on staying visible—and actionable, forward-thinking SEO—reach out to the WebPulse team for a custom proposal or check out our latest strategies on the blog and YouTube channel.