Why Your Website Impressions Dropped & Average Ranking Changed

If you noticed a sudden drop in impressions and a shift in average rankings in Google Search Console this week, you’re not alone. Many SEOs and website owners are reporting unusual data patterns since mid-September 2025. This coincides with a change Google made — the removal of the option to show 100 search results per page.

The update is causing confusion not only in Google Search Console (GSC) but also across many third-party tracking tools that rely on Google’s search results for reporting. Let’s break down what happened, why impressions dropped, and why your average ranking looks different.

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What Changed in Google Search (September 2025 Update)

Until last week, users could add the parameter &num=100 to the search results URL to view 100 results per page. This was widely used by SEO professionals and third-party rank trackers.

As of September 2025:

• The &num=100 parameter no longer works.
• Google limits results to fewer listings per page.
• Tracking tools that relied on this method now need 10 times more queries to fetch the same data.

This seemingly small change has had a big impact on how search rankings and impressions are measured.

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Why Your Website Impressions Dropped

Many site owners are reporting a sharp decline in impressions in GSC reports, especially on desktop. The main reasons include:

• Third-party scrapers broken: Tools that used to pull 100 results at once are struggling, causing incomplete or inconsistent data.
• Less visibility recorded: Since scrapers can’t capture results as efficiently, your website may appear to have fewer impressions.
• Data reporting disruption: The update seems to be affecting GSC’s reporting systems, making impressions look lower than they actually are.

In reality, your traffic may not have dropped as dramatically as the reports suggest — it’s the reporting accuracy that’s been disrupted.

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Why Your Average Ranking Changed

Alongside impressions, many are also noticing a rise in average position in Google Search Console.

Here’s why:

• With fewer impressions being counted, only the most prominent positions are being logged.
• This creates an artificial improvement in average ranking, even if your site’s actual ranking hasn’t changed.
• It’s more of a data anomaly than a true reflection of performance.

So, while it looks like your average ranking improved, it may not reflect actual SERP visibility.

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What This Means for Your SEO Strategy

• Don’t panic: These are likely reporting changes, not actual ranking penalties.
• Watch traffic, not just GSC metrics: Cross-check performance in Google Analytics, server logs, and direct traffic data.
• Expect tool updates: Third-party SEO platforms are already working on fixes.
• Stay tuned for Google’s clarification: As of now, it’s unclear if this was intentional or a bug.

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Conclusion

The September 2025 Google Search update — specifically the removal of the 100 results per page option — has disrupted both third-party tracking tools and Google Search Console reporting.

If you see dropped impressions and changed average rankings, don’t assume your website’s SEO performance has collapsed. This is likely a reporting glitch tied to the update, not an actual ranking loss.

At DGTLmart, we’re closely monitoring the situation and will continue to update our clients as more clarity comes from Google.

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