SEO glossary
Impressions
In Google Search Console, an impression is recorded each time a link to your site appears in a set of results a searcher has seen.
The counting rule is more specific than it sounds. A result on page one counts even if the searcher never scrolls to it; a result on page three counts only if they went to page three. So impressions measure exposure to a results page, not that anyone laid eyes on your listing.
This is why impressions and traffic can move in opposite directions. Ranking for many new long-tail queries at position thirty lifts impressions and produces almost no clicks — which reads as a drop in click-through rate when nothing got worse.
Read them alongside position and clicks or not at all. Rising impressions with flat clicks and falling average position usually means you have gained visibility on queries you do not deserve yet, which is a normal stage rather than a problem.
Common question
- Why did my impressions jump with no extra traffic?
- Almost always new low-position rankings on long-tail queries. They count as impressions and rarely earn clicks until the position improves.
Check this on your own site
- GSC Insights
Search Console data, free on every plan
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