Google has confirmed a logging error that caused Search Console to over-report impressions from May 13, 2025 onward. This issue persisted for nearly a year unnoticed, approximately ten and a half months before Google formally acknowledged it on April 3, 2026.
As Google rolls out the fix over the coming weeks, you’ll likely see impression counts decrease in your Performance reports.
The most important thing to know
Clicks and other metrics were not affected by the error. This is a measurement correction, not a traffic decline. Your actual search visibility hasn’t dropped. The numbers are simply being corrected to reflect reality.
What this means for your reporting
Since the bug began on May 13, 2025, any impression data from that point forward has been inflated. This affects:
- Year-over-year impression comparisons
- CTR calculations (impressions were inflated, so CTR appeared lower than it actually was)
- Any visibility benchmarks set using data from mid-2025 onward
What to expect
Over the next few weeks, you may notice:
- Impression counts declining in your Search Console reports
- CTR appearing to improve (because the denominator is being corrected)
- Charts showing what looks like a drop in visibility
None of this indicates an actual performance problem. It’s Google fixing their counting methodology.
How we’re responding
We’re taking the following steps to ensure clean, accurate reporting going forward:
- Annotating all dashboards to mark the affected period (May 13, 2025 onward)
- Emphasizing clicks, sessions, and conversions as our primary performance indicators during this transition
- Establishing a new baseline once the fix is fully deployed
- Monitoring your account closely to distinguish between the data correction and any actual SEO changes
What you should watch
If you see impressions decline but clicks, organic traffic, and conversions remain stable, that’s the expected pattern from this bug fix.
Expected pattern
- Impressions decline in Search Console reports
- CTR appears to improve
- Clicks, organic traffic, and conversions remain stable
Worth investigating
- Clicks and organic traffic also drop significantly
- Could indicate a separate SEO issue alongside the data correction
We’re monitoring for exactly that distinction.
Questions?
If you have concerns about how this affects your specific reporting or want to review your data together, please reach out. We’re here to help you interpret what’s happening and ensure you have an accurate picture of your organic performance.
