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Dofollow Digest #33: The impression-click split you need to understand

Dofollow Digest #33: The impression-click split you need to understand

Eric Carrell
July 03, 2025

Hey, it's Eric 👋

If your Google Search Console shows impressions climbing while clicks plummet – creating that distinctive gap between the two metrics – you're not alone. This pattern is being documented across the industry, and it's being called "The Great Decoupling."

This isn't a problem with your SEO strategy. It's a fundamental shift in how Google search works, and it's creating both challenges and opportunities for SaaS companies. Let me explain what's happening and what it means for your traffic strategy.

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🔍 DEEP DIVE: The Impression-Click Split Every SaaS Company Needs to Understand

For years, SEO followed a simple rule: when impressions went up, clicks followed. That relationship just broke. Industry-wide data shows that impressions and clicks now move in opposite directions – impressions are soaring while clicks are declining.

The cause? AI Overviews are creating what's being called "The Great Decoupling." Here's what's happening:

You're getting double-counted on impressions. When your content ranks well for a keyword AND gets cited in an AI Overview for that same search, you receive two impressions but potentially fewer clicks. Most AI Overview citations come from content that already ranks in the top 12 positions, so high-performing content is particularly affected.

Zero-click searches are increasing. AI Overviews answer many questions directly in the search results. Research shows that AI Overviews correlate with a 34.5% reduction in click-through rates. Users get their answers without visiting your site.

The timeline matches AI Overview rollout. This decoupling pattern started appearing widely during the March 2025 core update, when AI Overview presence doubled by 116%. Sites with few AI Overviews don't show this same pattern.

For SaaS companies, this creates a complex situation. Your content might be performing better than ever in terms of visibility and authority (hence the increased impressions), but traditional traffic metrics don't reflect that success.

Here's the important part: this isn't necessarily bad news. While overall clicks are down, early data suggests that traffic from AI search converts significantly better than traditional search traffic. Some companies are seeing AI search visits convert 20+ times better than traditional search visits.

This makes sense when you think about user intent. Someone who clicks through from an AI Overview has already seen a summary of your content and chosen to dig deeper. They're more qualified and further along in their decision-making process.

What this means for SaaS companies: Don't panic about declining click-through rates if your impressions are growing. Instead, focus on creating content that serves users at different stages of the search experience. Some content will drive awareness through AI Overview citations, while other content will capture high-intent traffic from users ready to take action.

The key is building authority across your entire content ecosystem, not optimizing for any single metric. Companies that understand this shift and adapt their content strategy accordingly will have a significant advantage over those still chasing yesterday's metrics.

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Til next time,

Eric