Is Google Not Letting Third-Party Tools Crawl Beyond the First Page?

Yes! Google has limited the access of third-party tools to crawl beyond the first page. It means that tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, and SERanking can now access keyword ranking data for page 1 only; all the pages after that are almost invisible, and that’s a real heartbreak for SEO teams! At New Horizon, our SEO managers noticed Ahrefs showing ‘no data’ beyond position 10, and that’s when we realised something had changed. So we dug deeper and found that Google didn’t even exactly announce this with fireworks. It just… happened quietly. This change that apparently seems small is greatly impacting SEO teams and businesses across the globe. The fact is, when you’re unable to see the performance of your keywords or the ranking trends of your competitors on the second, third, or tenth page, how can you know what’s going on and what new strategy you can make? But don’t worry. The solution is never to keep on fretting, but to find a way out. In this blog, we’ll simply explain

• Why has Google brought this change
• What’s its impact on SEO and businesses
• How can you adjust your SEO strategy accordingly? 

Let’s break this down step by step!

What Changed? 

There was a time when we used third-party SEO tools to crawl the search results of 100 pages using the “num=100” parameter. No matter if your keyword was ranking on the 1st page or the 5th page, these tools fetched the data and gave you a thorough report of ranking, backlinks, and competitor analysis. But: “Google has confirmed that the “result per page” parameter (num=100) isn’t their formally supported feature now.” ( Search Engine Land) What does it mean? Google has put a restriction on this crawling process. Now, these third-party SEO tools can access data from the first page, meaning 10 results only. This makes the rest of the pages from the 2nd page onwards practically invisible for SEO tools! To put it simply, everything beyond the first page is off-limits to SEO tools. They can’t give you ranking fluctuations, hidden opportunities, or deep competitor insights anymore. Now, their access is limited to the first page only. But that doesn’t mean you lose hope and shut down your business if you’re on the 5th or 6th page or even below, but it means to evolve with the evolving trend. We’ll discuss what the solution is for this, but let’s first see why Google has actually rolled out this change.

Why Might Google Be Doing This? 

Now the question arises, why has Google put such restrictions on? Obviously, Google isn’t your enemy but your partner that wants to make this online space beneficial for both users and businesses. If you ask me, this isn’t just a random change; Google has solid reasons for this. If you’re an SEO person or business owner, understanding these reasons is important so you can modify your SEO strategy accordingly: 

• Protecting Its Search Data:

The main asset of Google is its search data. According to Statista: “ Google represents a share of over 90% of the search engine market worldwide”.  You know AI is changing the game, and Google is the old player. It doesn’t want to lose its data. It has billions of queries and knows the user’s search behaviour. When third-party tools freely crawl, there is a high risk that this highly proprietary data of Google might leak. That’s why Google has taken a preventive measure and has given limited data access to these tools. So that Google search ecosystem is completely secure!

• Stopping Unauthorised Scraping 

This is something you can relate to. All SEO agencies, business owners, and competitors use crawlers to scrape Google results. With this restriction, Google just wants to ensure that unauthorised scraping is less and the served load is optimised. As a result, it improves user experience.

• Promoting its Official APIs

Another reason might be that Google wants to promote its own APIs ( Application Programming Interface). Google has its own Custom Search API and Search Console API. When third-party tools are unable to crawl beyond the first page, obviously, people will use Google’s official APIs to find accurate data. And boom, Google gets two benefits from it: data usage control and revenue!

• Maintain the Authenticity of Search Results 

Google always wants to improve user experience, making it more personalised, accurate, and smooth. When third-party crawlers continuously scrape data, sometimes temporary distortion may occur, interrupting the user experience. With this change, Google wants to minimise this third-party interference and maintain its consistency to give users an authentic and personalised experience.

• Improve User Privacy 

The main principle of Google is to protect user privacy and experience. Third-party crawlers usually analyse user search behaviour through tracking cookies and metadata. With this restriction, Google actually wants to protect users’ personal browsing data to keep its ecosystem safe, secure, and always at the top. Long story short, Google has done this to maintain its position as the best search engine. By doing this, Google isn’t just protecting its data; it’s reclaiming its dominance!

What’s the Impact of This New Strategy on SEO and Businesses? 

Now, all that buildup for this main thing, how this restriction is impacting SEO and businesses. Honestly, it’s not a technical update only, but a major shift. Previously, it was easier; with the help of tools, we could see the ranking of each page. But now, these tools can’t go beyond the first page. Meaning? You’ll get a partial picture of your whole website performance if you still keep using these tools. This change will impact those SEO professionals and businesses more who rely strongly on competitors and keyword tracking. Let’s see it in detail.

• Difficulty in Tracking Keywords 

The first and major impact is that you won’t be able to track your keyword completely. You won’t be able to know if your keyword is ranking on 15 or 30th position using these tools. Also, it will be difficult to track the performance of long tail keywords because of this restriction. But that’s not the end; there is a solution for it. Read 4 more points, and then we’ll be discussing solutions.

• Less Accurate Data on Rank Fluctuations 

You and I both know that we usually analyse and track daily and weekly ranking fluctuations. But now, because our access to data has become limited, tracking fluctuations becomes a bit more difficult.

• Difficulty in Competitor Analysis 

Big brands have their identity and have established their authority, both in the eyes of users and Google. But small brands and businesses? They rely heavily on competitor analysis. Now, because these third-party tools aren’t able to access data of the second or third page, how can you know how your competitors are growing, which one is coming behind you, and which one is about to outrank? (Hold on! Solutions are coming.)

• Impact on Data-driven Decisions 

If you made decisions and SEO strategies based on the data fetched by these third-party crawlers, now that you don’t have complete data access, how can you plan and forecast? Don’t worry, every problem comes with a solution. There is a way out, just after a few points.

• Effect on the Reporting Model of Agencies 

Lastly, marketing agencies and SEO professionals give their clients monthly reports. ( I hope you didn’t promise daily reports) But with this restriction, these agencies might have to redefine their metrics. Because now, reports need to focus on “page-1 visibility” instead of overall keyword spread. And obviously, the hardest part is, you have to convince and give this mindset shift to your clients as well. 

What’s the Solution? 

Enough talking about change, problem, and impact, let’s discuss solutions. Because what Google wanted to do, it has done. Now the ball is in your court, and you have to play wisely. Seriously, this restriction is a challenge for some businesses, but for others, it might be an opportunity. Let’s see how you can adapt to this trend:

• Use Google Search Console 

Search Console is Google’s own tool and the most reliable one as well. With its help, you can track clicks, impressions, CTRs, and even top-performing queries. In short, you can see the real performance of your site without relying on third-party tools.

• Use the Official API’s of Google 

If you want to go one step ahead, use Google’s own Search Console API and Custom Search API. You’ll get structured, accurate data in a legal and safe way.

• Focus on Page 1 Visibility

Now the game is clearer! If your keywords are ranking on page 2 or 3, it’s hard to find their data. (Unless you do it manually) That’s why, try your best to rank your important keywords on page 1. If you’re on the page, you’re actually visible.

• Work on Content and User Intent 

Google wants clarity and quality. Now you have limited access to raw data, and it’s even more important for you to provide your users with valuable content, address their queries, and satisfy their search intent. If you focus on high-quality, helpful content, solving user queries, that’s all Google wants from you, and it can actually help you land on the first page.

• Continuous Monitoring and Experimentation 

Lastly, SEO is no longer just static and planning. You have to do regular testing, A/B experiments, manual SERP reviews, and evolve your SEO strategy accordingly. This way, your reliance on these third-party tools will be limited, and you can get real-world data through your own efforts. End of story: Google has made SEO even more real. It’s not about tracking anymore, but creating real results. You can do it yourself manually, use Google’s own tool, and focus on solving the problems of your users, providing them value. Ultimately, creating your way to the first page. And that’s the actual visibility, the rest is just noise!

Conclusion: 

This restriction of Google, stopping third-party tools from crawling beyond the first page, is a major change for the SEO world. Yes! It’s frustrating initially, making you think the game is out of control now, etc, etc. But the fact is, Google is evolving its system, and we have to evolve with it. Not stop, evolution is part of life, and when you stop evolving, you actually stop living. So, the solution is to stop running behind data, start focusing on the first page visibility by connecting with your users, solving their problems, and using Google’s own tools to track your performance. If you still face any difficulty in implementing any of these strategies or want to discuss your business challenges with us, the New Horizon SEO team is always here to guide you, help you adapt to this change, and rank on the first page. Call Now.

FAQs: 

Why are SEO tools not tracking rankings beyond the first page? 

It’s because Google has put a restriction on third-party crawlers. They can’t track results beyond the first page.

Would this new policy affect rank tracking? 

Yes! Now, only the data on the first page will be reliable with the help of third-party tools. You can’t track exact keywords’ ranking, fluctuations, or niche ranks beyond the first page.

Now that Google has limited third-party tools to crawl beyond the first page, what’s the best way to track performance? 

You can use Google Search Console, official APIs, and first-party analytics to track your performance. These tools can give you direct metrics reflecting your real search performance.