{"id":4015,"date":"2008-09-09T23:29:39","date_gmt":"2008-09-09T17:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=4015"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:31:28","slug":"dropping-google-o","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Search Pagination: The Dropping &#8216;O&#8217; Trick Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2008 we spotted a fun quirk in <strong>google search pagination<\/strong>: add two parameters to a search URL and the long &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; logo at the bottom of the results would suddenly drop its O&#8217;s. This article explains what that trick was, why it stopped working, and how to move through Google results in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67154\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Dropping O in Google search pagination explained\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropping-google-o-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The old trick added &amp;num=100&amp;start=990 to a Google search URL, which jumped to the far end of the results and shrank the &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; footer. Google has since changed how results load, and in September 2025 it stopped honouring the num=100 parameter. Today you move between pages with the Next button or by scrolling on mobile.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aeeba7c4b722\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aeeba7c4b722\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#What_was_the_dropping_Google_%E2%80%98O_trick\" >What was the dropping Google &#8216;O&#8217; trick?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Does_the_google_search_pagination_trick_still_work\" >Does the google search pagination trick still work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#How_to_move_through_Google_results_in_2026\" >How to move through Google results in 2026<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#On_desktop\" >On desktop<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#On_mobile\" >On mobile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Get_better_results_instead_of_more_results\" >Get better results instead of more results<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Other_fun_Google_tricks\" >Other fun Google tricks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#What_did_num100_start990_do_in_Google\" >What did &amp;num=100&amp;start=990 do in Google?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Can_I_still_see_100_Google_results_on_one_page\" >Can I still see 100 Google results on one page?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Why_does_the_Google_logo_at_the_bottom_have_so_many_Os\" >Why does the Google logo at the bottom have so many O&#8217;s?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/09\/dropping-google-o\/#Does_Google_still_use_infinite_scroll\" >Does Google still use infinite scroll?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_was_the_dropping_Google_%E2%80%98O_trick\"><\/span>What was the dropping Google &#8216;O&#8217; trick?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For years, every Google results page ended with the Google logo stretched into &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221;, with a page number under each O. It was a playful way to show how many pages of results you could click through.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4017\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-longsearch.gif\" alt=\"Google search pagination footer with the long Gooooogle logo\" width=\"262\" height=\"59\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 2008 a post on the SEOmoz blog (now Moz) pointed out that two URL parameters could change it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>num=100<\/strong> asked Google to show 100 results on one page instead of the default 10.<\/li>\n<li><strong>start=990<\/strong> skipped ahead to result number 990, close to the end of what Google would show for a query.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To try it, you added <strong>&amp;num=100&amp;start=990<\/strong> to the end of any search URL in the browser&#8217;s address bar. On that last page there were hardly any further pages to link to, so the footer shrank and the logo appeared to &#8220;drop&#8221; its O&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4016\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-drop.gif\" alt=\"Google logo with a dropped O after adding num and start parameters\" width=\"149\" height=\"75\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It was a harmless Google hack, but it showed something useful: the search results page was driven by simple URL parameters that anyone could edit.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_the_google_search_pagination_trick_still_work\"><\/span>Does the google search pagination trick still work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No, not in the same way. Several things have changed since 2008:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Continuous scroll came and went.<\/strong> Google introduced continuous scrolling on mobile in 2021 and on desktop in 2022, then removed it on desktop in 2024 and brought back the &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; page bar with a Next button.<\/li>\n<li><strong>num=100 no longer works.<\/strong> Around mid-September 2025 Google stopped returning 100 results per page with this parameter. SEO and rank-tracking tools that relied on it now have to load results page by page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google rarely shows hundreds of results.<\/strong> For most searches, Google shows a limited set of pages and then stops, even when it says it found millions of matches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_move_through_Google_results_in_2026\"><\/span>How to move through Google results in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On_desktop\"><\/span>On desktop<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Scroll to the bottom of the results and use the page numbers or the <strong>Next<\/strong> link under the &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; logo. You can still add the <strong>start=<\/strong> parameter to a search URL (for example start=10 for page two) to jump ahead, but expect Google to stop after a few pages.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On_mobile\"><\/span>On mobile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>On phones, scroll to the end of the results and use the option at the bottom to see the next set. There is no setting to show 100 results at once.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_better_results_instead_of_more_results\"><\/span>Get better results instead of more results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you are digging deep into results because you can&#8217;t find something, it usually works better to refine the search. Use quotes for an exact phrase, a minus sign to exclude a word, or <strong>site:<\/strong> to search inside one website. Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/05\/search-google-better-way\/\">Google search tips<\/a> covers these, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/09\/learn-google-powered-searching\/\">Google Power Searching lessons<\/a> go further. Google also has an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/advanced_search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Advanced Search<\/a> page with these filters in a simple form.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_fun_Google_tricks\"><\/span>Other fun Google tricks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The dropping O was one of many playful quirks people found in Google over the years. If you enjoy these, see our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/google-easter-eggs\/\">Google Easter eggs that still work<\/a>, such as &#8220;do a barrel roll&#8221; and the hidden games.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_did_num100_start990_do_in_Google\"><\/span>What did &amp;num=100&amp;start=990 do in Google?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>num=100 showed 100 results per page and start=990 jumped to result 990. Together they took you to the very last page of results, which made the &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; footer lose most of its O&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_see_100_Google_results_on_one_page\"><\/span>Can I still see 100 Google results on one page?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Google stopped supporting the num=100 parameter in September 2025, so results load ten or so at a time.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_the_Google_logo_at_the_bottom_have_so_many_Os\"><\/span>Why does the Google logo at the bottom have so many O&#8217;s?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The &#8220;Gooooogle&#8221; footer is Google&#8217;s page bar. Each O sits above a page number you can click to see more results.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Google_still_use_infinite_scroll\"><\/span>Does Google still use infinite scroll?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google removed continuous scroll from desktop search in June 2024 and went back to page links with a Next button, and said mobile would follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2008 we spotted a fun quirk in google search pagination: add two parameters to a search URL and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67160,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4015\/revisions\/67160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}