Google Search Console Update: September 2025

In September 2025, Google rolled out a new update to Google Search Console (GSC) that has caught the attention of many website owners, marketers, and business leaders. If you have recently logged into your Search Console or analytics reports and noticed a sudden and significant drop in impressions, you are certainly not alone.

Understandably, this has raised questions and, in some cases, concern about whether a site’s visibility has been negatively affected.

The truth, however, is far less alarming. The update is not the result of your website losing rankings, nor is it an indication that your search visibility has suddenly collapsed.

Instead, the change lies in how Google measures and reports impressions in Search Console. To help clarify, this article will explain exactly what has changed, why Google made the adjustment, and why there is no need to panic.

By the end of this piece, you will have a clear understanding of what has taken place, how it may appear in your reporting, and why the update should actually be seen as a positive step toward more accurate data rather than a reason for alarm.

What has Google changed in Search Console?

The September 2025 update to Google Search Console revolves around the way impressions are counted. Previously, impressions in GSC could be inflated due to a particular parameter in search results: &num=100.

For context, when users conduct a search on Google, the default setting is to show 10 results per page. However, many advanced users, SEOs, and certain tools (such as SEMRush, AHREFs etc) append the &num=100 parameter to their search queries, effectively telling Google to display up to 100 results on a single page.

Under the old reporting system, each of these 100 results could generate an impression when your website appeared on that extended results page, regardless of whether the user scrolled far enough to actually see it.

With the update, Google has refined how these impressions are measured. The company has removed the &num=100 parameter from impression reporting, meaning Search Console no longer counts results that were not realistically visible to the searcher.

This is a more accurate representation of how often real users encounter your website in search results.

So, when you notice a sharp drop in impressions in your GSC reports from September 2025 onwards, it is not because your website has slipped down the rankings. It is because Google has stopped over-counting impressions from inflated search settings that don’t reflect typical user behaviour.

Why did Google make this change?

Google’s mission has always been to improve the accuracy and relevance of information across the web.

This principle applies not only to the results it serves but also to the tools it provides to webmasters and marketers.

The change to impression reporting in Search Console was made to ensure the data more closely reflects real user behaviour. The truth is, very few people set their search results to display 100 listings at once.

The vast majority of users view the standard 10 results per page, and most clicks happen on the first page alone. By removing the distortion caused by the &num=100 parameter, Google is giving marketers cleaner, more representative data about how often their content is genuinely seen by users.

In practical terms, this means that while impression counts may look lower, they are now more reliable. It eliminates the false sense of reach that came from counting impressions that, in reality, very few searchers ever scrolled down far enough to see.

This makes it easier for businesses to set realistic expectations, measure SEO performance accurately, and make better-informed marketing decisions.

Why your impressions have dropped but rankings remain stable

When you compare reports before and after September 2025, you may feel alarmed by the sudden drop. In some cases, impressions could appear to fall by 20, 30, or even 50 per cent overnight. But it is essential to remember that this is not a reflection of declining performance; it is a reflection of refined reporting.

Your website has not disappeared from Google. Your rankings are not slipping. Your brand is not suddenly less visible. Instead, Search Console has removed inflated numbers that painted an artificially rosy picture of your impressions in the past.

This is similar to what happens when a business updates its accounting methods. The numbers may look different, but the underlying reality of the business has not changed. In fact, the new data is more trustworthy and helps you understand your true position in search results.

What does this mean for your business?

For clients and business owners, the main takeaway is reassurance: there is no need to worry. The September 2025 Search Console update is not a penalty, nor is it a sign that your website is underperforming. If anything, it gives you a clearer, more realistic understanding of how often your site is genuinely seen in search results.

This update also highlights why it is important not to focus solely on one metric. Impressions are useful, but they are only one part of the bigger picture.

Click-through rates, rankings, organic traffic, engagement, and conversions all tell a more complete story about how your digital presence is performing.

In fact, many businesses may find that although impressions have dropped, click-through rates look healthier because the impressions now represent a smaller, more accurate pool of real user activity.

This can provide fresh insight into how your content resonates with your target audience and where opportunities for improvement exist.

Looking ahead: adapting to Google’s changes

Google will continue to refine its tools and metrics, and updates like this should be welcomed rather than feared. Accurate data leads to better strategies, and better strategies lead to stronger performance.

The September 2025 Search Console update underscores the importance of working with data in context. Numbers alone do not tell the whole story; it is the interpretation of those numbers that guides successful marketing decisions.

As a business owner or marketer, your focus should remain on creating high-quality, relevant content, building authority in your industry, and ensuring that your website provides a seamless user experience.

With these fundamentals in place, fluctuations in reported metrics are less likely to cause confusion or concern. Instead, they can be viewed as part of the natural evolution of how Google measures and communicates search performance.

The Google Search Console update of September 2025 has introduced a notable change in how impressions are reported, with the removal of the &num=100 parameter leading to visible drops in impression counts. However, this change does not signal any decline in rankings, visibility, or traffic. Rather, it represents a shift toward more accurate, reliable reporting.

For businesses, the message is clear: do not panic. Your search performance is not suffering; your data is simply being reported in a more realistic way. Continue to monitor your Analytics alongside Search Console, and focus on the bigger picture of how your digital strategy drives meaningful results.

By embracing these updates and understanding their purpose, you position your business to make smarter decisions, stay ahead of the curve, and maintain confidence in the long-term effectiveness of your online presence.

Transparency and accuracy in reporting are invaluable. While it may take a moment to adjust to the new numbers, this update ultimately serves your best interests. After all, better data leads to better decisions—and that is something every business can benefit from.