Impression
TL;DR
An impression counts every time your URL appears in search results, regardless of whether the user clicks.
Impressions are the top of the SEO funnel: without impressions, no clicks. Search Console counts an impression whenever your URL appears in a SERP within scroll range, even if the user doesn't scroll to that position. The distinction between impressions (appeared) and clicks (clicked) is crucial for CTR analysis.
Example
A page has 8,400 impressions/month but only 56 clicks (CTR 0.7%). Cause: the page averages position 24 — too low to exceed 2% CTR. Fix: improve rankings first, then CTR.
Frequently asked questions
Are impressions a ranking factor?
Not directly. But high impressions with low CTR signal a title/description problem that indirectly affects ranking.
Related terms
Further reading
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