Impressions up, clicks down in Search Console: 5 causes and how to tell which

The 5 causes, and the clue for each

One thing that is NOT this pattern: in mid-September 2025, many sites saw impressions fall and position "improve" with clicks unchanged, after Google stopped supporting the &num=100 parameter that rank trackers used (Locomotive). That is the reverse chart. Google also fixed a logging error in April 2026 that had over-counted impressions since May 13, 2025. So compare impressions only between windows that both fall after April 27, 2026. Why Search Console impressions dropped explains it.

A 10-minute test

1. In Search Console, open Performance > Search results and click Date > Compare. Pick the last 28 days vs the 28 days before.
2. Turn on clicks, impressions, CTR and position.
3. Open the Queries tab and sort by Impressions difference. Are the top gainers new queries with a position worse than 15? If yes, it is cause 2, and it is mostly harmless.
4. Sort by Clicks difference. For the top 10 losers, compare position in both periods. If position held and CTR fell, it is cause 1, 3 or 4.
5. Add a query filter, Custom (regex): ^(who|what|when|where|why|how|which|is|are|can|does|do|should|will) . If the CTR drop is much bigger on these question queries than on the rest, it is cause 1: AI Overviews.
6. Search the 3 biggest losers yourself in a private window. You will see the AI Overview, the new feature, or your rewritten title.

Why AI Overviews create this exact chart

Google counts AI Overview and AI Mode appearances inside your normal Performance report (Google). An AI Overview takes one position, and every link in it gets that position (Search Console Help). So when your page is cited, you can collect an impression at a high position, while the reader gets the answer and never clicks. The studies agree on the size of the effect: Ahrefs measured 58% lower CTR for position 1 when an AI Overview shows (Feb 2026).

A fictional example

brightsmile-dental.com (fictional) saw impressions +9% and clicks -22% over 28 days. The test showed question queries like "how long does teeth whitening last" with position 2.8 to 2.7 and CTR down 47%, while "emergency dentist near me" and the brand name barely moved. Cause 1. The clinic did not redesign the site. It kept short answers at the top of its 6 question pages and added its own price range, case photos and a booking link, then judged success by bookings from those pages.

What to do for each cause

• AI Overviews: answer first, then give a reason to click: your data, photos, prices, a tool, a clear pick. Put that reason in the title.
• New broad queries: nothing. CTR averages fall when you get impressions at low positions. Track clicks, not CTR.
• New SERP feature: compete in it (video, Merchant Center, Business Profile) or accept it.
• Title change: write a title that matches the query and the page's real promise.
• Cannibalization: merge or retarget one of the two pages.