Why Your Search Console Impressions May Have Dropped This Week

If you've noticed a sudden drop in desktop impressions in Google Search Console around 10th September, you're not alone. A recent change by Google has affected both Search Console reporting and third-party SEO tools, creating widespread disruption.

What's Changed

Google has disabled the &num=100 URL parameter that previously allowed users to view 100 search results per page. This technical change might seem minor, but it's had significant knock-on effects for SEO data reporting.

The change appears to have rolled out around 10th September, with SEO professionals quickly noticing disruptions across multiple accounts.

Impact on Your Data

Search Console Reporting Many accounts are showing sharp declines in desktop impressions since 10th September, accompanied by increases in average position. This pattern is appearing across multiple client accounts, suggesting a systemic change rather than site-specific issues.

Third-Party Tools Affected Rank-tracking tools that relied on the 100-results parameter are now facing a tenfold increase in API costs to gather the same data. Many tools are showing missing rankings, error states, or data gaps whilst they adapt to the change.

Popular platforms including Keyword Insights have confirmed the impact, with some tools temporarily unable to provide complete ranking data.

The Bigger Picture

Some industry experts theorise that previous desktop impression spikes may have been artificially inflated by SEO tools and bots loading 100-result pages. If accurate, this would mean recent drops actually represent more realistic user behaviour data.

This could also explain part of the "great decoupling" phenomenon many have observed over the past year where rising impressions have been seen without matching increases clicks. AI Overviews may also be a factor here.

What This Means for You

Don't Panic About Recent Drops The impression decreases you're seeing since 10th September likely reflect this technical change rather than actual performance issues with your sites.

Check Your Tools If you use third-party rank-tracking tools, contact your providers to understand how they're adapting to the change and when normal service will resume.

Moving Forward

Google hasn't yet confirmed whether this is a permanent change or temporary test. We're monitoring the situation closely and will update clients as more information becomes available.

For now the message remains: don't panic! This is a reporting challenge rather than a drop in performance for individual sites.

We'll continue tracking this situation and will reach out directly if we notice significant impacts on any client accounts.