Google Search Console Data Just Changed: Here’s What It Means for Your Business
If you’ve noticed some unusual dips or shifts in your Google Search Console (GSC) reports lately, you’re not alone. On September 10, 2025, Google made a subtle but significant change to how search results are displayed, and it’s having a big ripple effect across SEO reporting.
Let’s break down what’s happening, why your data might look different, and what it really means for your business.
What Changed in Google Search Console
Until recently, GSC gave you the option to view up to 100 results per page in search results. That option is now gone. Google has reverted to showing just 10 results per page, which is what most searchers have always seen.
On the surface, this sounds minor. But here’s the catch: many SEO tools relied on the “100 results” setting to simulate rankings and impressions. Removing it has shifted the way data is collected and reported.
How This Impacts Your Reports
The main GSC metrics affected are:
Impressions – Tools that crawled deep into the top 100 artificially inflated impressions. With the change, many businesses are now seeing impressions drop by 40–50% overnight.
Average Position – This data is also shifting, though ironically it may now be a little more accurate (since impressions are no longer skewed by low-visibility positions).
Number of Queries – Some reports are showing fewer queries overall, reflecting the narrower data scope.
In short: your dashboards may look like performance is down, but this isn’t necessarily true. It’s a reporting change, not a sudden drop in visibility.
The Bigger Picture: Search Is Changing
Beyond GSC data quirks, these changes sit within a much bigger trend in how Google is shaping search.
Ads are taking more space: pushing organic results further down the page.
AI Overviews (AIOs) are live in 180 countries, creating a new visibility layer beyond the traditional “blue links.”
Authority signals matter more than ever: digital PR, brand mentions, and quality backlinks are increasingly important in whether your content is trusted (and surfaced) by Google.
Content strategy is evolving: evergreen content still matters, but Google is rewarding fresh, topically relevant insights that establish you as a source of truth.
Put simply: the way people see your brand in search is becoming less about raw rankings and more about authority and presence across multiple layers of Google’s ecosystem.
What You Should Do Next
Here’s how to stay ahead of the curve:
Annotate your reports – Mark September 10, 2025, as the date of the GSC reporting change. Any dips from this point on are more about methodology than performance.
Shift focus from “rankings” to results – Look at metrics like traffic, conversions, and brand visibility rather than obsessing over average position.
Invest in authority signals – PR, partnerships, and backlinks from trusted sites will carry more weight than ever.
Build topical relevance – Develop content that responds to timely questions, emerging trends, and your industry’s evolving conversations.
The Bottom Line
Rank tracking as we’ve known it is fading. But the fundamentals of good marketing haven’t changed: being in front of the right people at the right time with content that builds trust.
This GSC update is a reminder that search is moving beyond static rankings into a dynamic ecosystem where visibility, authority, and relevance matter most.
And if you want to chat about how this impacts your reporting or strategy, get in touch.
