What are Impressions?
Impressions refer to the number of times a webpage, ad, or search result is displayed to users, regardless of whether it is clicked. In SEO and digital advertising, an impression is counted each time the content appears in front of a user on a search engine results page (SERP) or within an ad platform.
Impressions do not require any interaction from the user. They simply measure visibility.
Why Impressions Matter
Impressions are a foundational metric for understanding reach and visibility. They help marketers assess how often their content is seen and serve as a baseline for performance metrics like Click-Through Rate (CTR).
Key benefits include:
- Tracking brand and content exposure
- Understanding keyword visibility in search results
- Evaluating the performance of ads and listings
- Helping calculate CTR and cost-per-impression metrics
- Supporting SEO reporting and diagnostics
A high number of impressions with a low CTR may signal that the title or snippet needs improvement.
Example in Use
An SEO specialist reviews the data in Google Search Console and sees that a blog post received 10,000 impressions in the last 30 days but only 100 clicks. This results in a 1 percent CTR. They decide to update the page’s meta description and title tag to improve its appeal in search results.
Tracking impressions helps identify which pages are gaining exposure even if they aren’t generating traffic yet.
Related Terms
- CTR (Click-Through Rate)
- Meta Description
- Search Visibility
- SEO Reporting
- Google Search Console