Google Search Console 2025 Update:
Key Insights for Businesses

Google Search Console 2025 Update: <br>Key Insights for Businesses

If you’ve logged into Google Search Console recently and wondered why your impressions look like they’ve suddenly dropped off a cliff, you’re not imagining things.

A significant change has rolled out in how Google records and reports data — and it’s affecting every website, not just yours. The update has already “broken” some well-known SEO tracking tools and caused plenty of head scratching across the industry.

But here’s the thing: while the numbers might look worrying at first glance, the update could actually be a positive step for SEO reporting. Our experts are saying that it gives us cleaner, more reliable data and a better sense of how search visibility really works in 2025.

Here’s what’s changed and what it means:

1. Impressions are down, but that’s a good thing

Previously, Google counted an impression whenever your result appeared anywhere in the search results — even if it was hidden ten pages deep where nobody would ever see it.

Now, impressions are only recorded when your result is genuinely visible on the user’s screen.

The result?

Impressions are dropping sharply.
Clicks are staying steady.
Average position looks much stronger.

This doesn’t mean performance is worse. It means the data is more accurate. You’re no longer being “credited” with empty impressions that never had a chance of driving a click.

2. The emergence of “Position 0”

One of the more fascinating changes we’ve seen is the appearance of “position 0” in Search Console reports. This is believed to reflect when your site is being used within Google’s AI-generated answers (AI Overviews).

Right now, “position 0” doesn’t show the same impression or click data as standard rankings, but it’s an important signal. It suggests that Google is surfacing your content as part of its AI-driven responses — an increasingly vital source of visibility as user behaviour shifts.

3. Brand searches are on the rise

Another positive trend is an increase in brand-related clicks. This suggests that users are seeing businesses mentioned or recommended (sometimes through AI summaries), and then turning to Google to search for those brands directly.

In practice, this means your visibility strategy isn’t just about where you rank for generic search terms. It’s also about building trust, authority and recognition that prompts people to look for you by name.

What this means for your SEO strategy

Don’t panic about lower impressions. The data is cleaner, and clicks are the metric that really matters.
Watch “position 0.” It’s an early sign of how your content is performing in AI-driven search.
Invest in brand visibility. As AI tools recommend businesses, brand searches are becoming an even stronger indicator of success.

Our take

As Chris, our digital marketing lead, who is just back from HubSpot’s INBOUND 2025 conference in San Francisco, put it:

“This change doesn’t mean SEO is broken. Far from it — it gives us a clearer picture of what’s working, and it underlines the need to evolve how we measure performance. The focus now is on meaningful visibility, not vanity metrics.”

At SG, we’re already adapting our SEO and reporting strategies to these changes, ensuring our clients stay ahead of the curve — not just in Google, but across AI-driven platforms and the wider digital landscape. We’re also here to help explain what’s going on, so you can position these changes to your peers.