Understanding the Recent Drop in Search Console Impressions

In recent days, many website owners and SEO professionals have noticed a significant drop in impressions reported in Google Search Console, particularly on desktop devices. Interestingly, this decrease in impressions is often accompanied by an increase in reported average position. In other words, Google is showing that sites are “ranking better” in terms of position, but fewer people are actually seeing the listings creating confusion and concern across the SEO community.

This drop appears linked to Google disabling the widely-used &num=100 parameter in search queries. This parameter allowed users and SEO tools to fetch up to 100 results per page. With this now phased out or limited, tools that rely on scraping these extended results are seeing disrupted rankings and impression counts. As a result, Search Console data appears skewed, affecting how visibility and SEO performance are measured.

Why Is This Happening?

There are a few major reasons behind this shift:

• SERP parameter changes: Google has either deprecated or made the &num=100 parameter unreliable, meaning many SEO tools can’t view as many results as before.

• Impression clean-up: Some impressions previously recorded may have been artificially inflated through tool-based or automated queries. These are now being filtered out.

• AI overviews and featured content: With more answers now appearing directly on search results pages (via AI Overviews), users are clicking less, further complicating impression and click data.

• 

What Google Is Saying

Google has acknowledged the drop, albeit informally. In a post on Bluesky, Google’s John Mueller joked:

“Maybe the real impressions were the friends we made along the way.”

While tongue-in-cheek, the comment hints that not all impressions in the past were necessarily “real” or user-driven. Other Google spokespeople and reports have confirmed that the &num=100 parameter has been deprecated. Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs are now forced to send multiple requests to retrieve the same number of results, which may increase their operational costs and reduce data completeness.

Furthermore, as AI-generated answers take up more space in search, Google’s Martin Splitt has noted that websites may experience more impressions but fewer clicks when their content is summarized in AI Overviews.

The Effects on the Search Landscape

These changes are already impacting the SEO ecosystem:

• SEO tool disruptions: Many third-party tools are struggling with rank tracking reliability due to changes in SERP structure and query limitations.

• Misleading performance metrics: Marketers may find their Search Console dashboards showing better average positions but fewer impressions or clicks.

• Shifting strategies: As more answers are being shown in-SERP (without clicks), marketers will need to shift focus to richer content, brand trust, and authority-building.

What Does the Future Hold?

We expect to see:

Continued refinement of what Google counts as an “impression”

Growing reliance on AI summaries and zero-click search features

More SERP features that reduce traditional organic traffic

A shift in how agencies report and measure SEO success

These shifts point to a future where visibility might be measured not just in clicks, but in influence, authority, and relevance within AI-powered search environments.

How SEO Agencies and Website Owners Should Adapt

To stay ahead, here’s what we recommend:

1. Audit your GSC data before and after the September 2025 changes. Break it down by device, page, and query type.

2. Shift KPIs beyond just impressions. Focus on CTR, click quality, and leads.

3. Update metadata with compelling titles, descriptions, and structured data.

4. Review your SEO tools to ensure they reflect current rankings accurately.

5. Create AI-ready content that answers questions thoroughly and earns citations in AI overviews.

6. Diversify your traffic through email marketing, social media, referral traffic, and YouTube.

7. Prioritise real value in your SEO strategy: content depth, expertise, and conversion-focused UX.

Ready to Make Sense of the Chaos?

If your impressions have dropped or your SEO tools are reporting strange results, you’re not alone. At Digital Presence, we can help you audit the impact, recalibrate your SEO KPIs, and future-proof your visibility in a rapidly evolving search landscape. Book a consultation with our SEO experts today and let’s turn uncertainty into opportunity.