In just a week, Google removed the 100-results option, leaving rank tracking tools and Search Console data in disarray. Meanwhile, publishers are escalating their fight against AI Overviews in court, and fresh surveys show the disconnect between high engagement and low referral traffic from generative search.
If you missed it, catch up on last week’s SEO & AI Weekly News before diving in — this series builds a continuous pulse of the changes shaping how we optimize for both Google Search and AI-powered engines.
1) Google quietly killed the &num=100 parameter, disrupting rank tracking and GSC reporting (Search Engine Roundtable).
2) Penske Media filed suit against Google over AI Overviews and traffic loss (Search Herald).
3) Surveys show 87% of users read AI Overviews, yet fewer than 1% click through (Search Herald)
Google quietly removed the &num=100
parameter, which allowed viewing 100 results per page. Rank tracking tools broke overnight, and Search Console impressions dropped sharply because only page 1 results are now counted. SEOs across X and LinkedIn flagged inflated “average position” data and missing impressions in GSC. Google hasn’t clarified whether this change is permanent.
📌 Impact for SEOs: Expect reporting noise in the short term. Focus on CTR and conversions until tracking tools recalibrate. Search Engine Roundtable explains here.
Penske Media, parent company of Rolling Stone and Variety, filed a lawsuit against Google, arguing that AI Overviews scrape content, divert clicks, and cut into ad revenue. This is one of the first big legal tests on AI summaries and copyright in search.
📌 Why this matters: If courts push Google to change how AI results credit publishers, it could reshape how traffic flows from AI search. Coverage via Search Herald.
Surveys reveal 87% of Americans read AI summaries, and 84% use them for shopping research, but <1% of clicks go to websites. Google insists “clicks remain stable,” but SEOs remain skeptical.
📌 Takeaway: Don’t panic yet—classic organic results still drive the lion’s share of traffic.
John Mueller clarified that schema markup doesn’t directly help you appear in AI overviews. Schema remains crucial for rich results, but it’s not your ticket into SGE.
The community is rapidly building new tools and tactics to adapt.
This week underscored a hard truth: SEO isn’t just about rankings anymore—it’s about resilience. When Google can change data visibility overnight and AI overviews can strip away traffic, SEOs must adapt with sharper strategies, smarter automation, and a stronger commitment to trust and originality. The winners won’t be those who chase every shiny AI experiment, nor those who cling to old methods. They’ll be the ones who combine E-E-A-T with AI fluency, who test, measure, and refine before the next update or lawsuit shifts the ground again.
Here is an exclusive coverage of the SEO News of the Month – September 2025
My advice: pick one automation, strengthen your entity coverage, and test your visibility in AI search. The future of SEO won’t wait, and neither should you — Manikandan N
Updated: Here is an exclusive coverage of the “SEO News of the Month – October 2025“
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