Google Search Console: why your impressions rise again since late October – without ranking better

Since mid-September 2025, impressions in Google Search Console dropped drastically for many websites. For scinet.eu it was around two thirds less – without changes in clicks or rankings. That wasn’t an SEO problem but a change in Google’s measurement logic: bot traffic and automated SERP fetches were removed from impressions, the &num=100 parameter was disabled, and AI areas were categorized differently. That caused the drop.

I already analyzed this effect in detail in September. If you don’t know the background, read this first: Google Search Console Update: Warum deine Impressionen plötzlich sinken

Now something new happens that many people misread: since late October, impressions suddenly rise again on many sites. And before you get excited – this is also not a ranking win.

What happened in September 2025

The first big drop in the GSC curve was a direct consequence of Google’s changes:

• Automated requests from SEO tools and scraper bots were filtered much more aggressively.
• The SERP parameter &num=100, which many tools used to fetch the top 100 results, was disabled.
• Parts of the new AI and test areas in search results were counted differently or no longer counted as classic impressions.

Result: impressions looked “worse” even though rankings didn’t change. Anyone who only watched that metric thought SEO crashed.

Why impressions rise again since late October

Since late October / early November, many sites see the opposite: impressions rise again. For scinet.eu, the effect was clearly visible starting 25/10/2025.

It looks positive at first glance, but it is just as meaningless as the drop before.

The reason is simple: some SEO tools are fetching larger parts of the SERPs again and generate impressions in GSC. Ahrefs in particular, and other rank trackers too, started pulling Top-100 results again at least partially. Those requests show up as impressions again.

Important: Google did not “roll back” anything. The increase is not a signal that your content ranks better. It is just a tool effect.

This is not a Google update

This is the core misconception: many interpret the curve as if Google ran a second update in late October that improved visibility again. That is not the case.

• Falling impressions in September do not automatically mean ranking loss.
• Rising impressions since late October do not automatically mean ranking gains.

If you still evaluate SEO mainly via impressions, you are analyzing past reality. In 2025/2026, impressions are one of the least reliable reporting metrics.

Which metrics actually matter now

If you want to know whether SEO is working, look at metrics tied to real usage and results:

1. Clicks: are they rising, stable, or dropping?
2. Rankings: are positions improving for the keywords that truly matter?
3. Conversions: are organic visitors creating inquiries, bookings, sales or other measurable goals?

Impressions are now a byproduct of measurement systems – including Google experiments (AI Overviews, SGE, new layouts) and external tools that query SERPs.

What fundamentally changes in SEO

In parallel, Google keeps shifting toward an answer machine. AI overviews, snippet boxes, forum blocks, source panels and other elements take more SERP space. The classic list of “10 blue links” shrinks – and with it the value of classic impressions.

Modern SEO therefore means:

• Structure content so humans and AI can understand and reuse it.
• Deliver clear answers instead of bloated SEO copy.
• Make expertise visible instead of stringing keywords together.
• Focus on real performance metrics, not pretty charts in GSC.

Conclusion: impressions are mostly noise now

The days when impressions in Search Console were a serious success indicator are over. If impressions rise or fall, it says very little in 2025/2026 about whether your SEO works.

What matters is what actually delivers: measurable rankings, real clicks and real contacts. Everything else is noise.