Impressions

What impressions tell you

An impression is counted when a link to your site appears in search results that a user sees, or could see by scrolling, according to Search Console's rules. Google's Performance report documentation explains exactly how impressions, clicks and positions are counted, including for features such as AI Overviews.

Where to find them

In Search Console's Performance report, compare impressions month by month for your most important pages. Use the Queries tab to see which searches generate them. A big jump for irrelevant queries isn't useful, so check that impressions come from searches that matter to your business.

Reading it in practice

A new web design studio publishes a page about website accessibility for charities. After two months it has few clicks but steadily rising impressions for dozens of related queries. That tells the owner the topic is worth developing, so she adds case studies and improves the page further.

Misreadings to avoid

• Reporting impressions as if they were visits.
• Panicking at short-term dips, which are often seasonal.
• Ignoring which queries the impressions come from.
• Forgetting that a page can earn impressions in AI Overviews and other features, which are included in the totals.

Why it’s worth tracking

Impressions are an early sign of progress. A new page often gathers impressions before it gets many clicks, because it starts appearing lower down for a growing number of searches. Rising impressions show Google is testing and trusting your content more, even before enquiries follow.

Impressions also help you spot new opportunities. Queries where you appear often but rarely get clicked can point to a title worth improving or a question your page doesn't quite answer.

Terms you’ll see alongside it

• CTR: Click-through rate: clicks divided by impressions.
• Ranking: A page's position for a query. It moves around more than most people expect.
• Google Search Console: Google's free property for coverage, queries and enhancements.