Get to Know Google: New Search Impact Report

This article was updated 08/11/2025.

Editor’s Note (Updated July 2025)

• This article was originally published in 2015 and discusses early access to a now-retired feature called the Search Impact Report in what was then Google Webmaster Tools. The tool has since been rebranded to Google Search Console, and the Search Impact Report was fully replaced by what is now known as the Performance Report.
• For the most up-to-date SEO strategies and tools, please visit our SEO services page.

We were selected to be a “Trusted Tester” for Google Webmaster Tools newest addition, the Search Impact report (currently in Alpha)!  In the world of marketing, what could be better than having access to more data? We’re super excited and we want to share a few of the new features with you!

The Search Impact Report allows you to break down your site’s:

• Clicks
• Impressions
• Click through rate (CTR)
• Average position

Using different dimensions, including:

• Date
• Countries
• Devices
• Search Type (web, image, video)

Editor’s Note (2025)

• These metrics are still core to Google Search Console today but are now accessed through the Performance Report, which offers enhanced visualizations, longer data windows (up to 16 months), and integration with Google Discover and News results.
• For modern use cases and SEO strategies, see our SEO services page.

The best part is you can actually combine and compare several dimensions to get more granular data. (Who doesn’t Love MORE data?)

Let’s take a look at a few screen shots:

In this first shot we are looking at search queries from the last 7 days compared the previous 7 days. We have chosen to look at clicks and average position. The ability to compare data on one screen is a huge improvement to GWT!

As always with Google Webmaster Tools, you can zero in on any of the results for a detailed chart. Below, you will see that we clicked on ‘fashion marketing’.

Editor’s Note (2025)

• While comparisons are still possible in modern GSC (e.g., date ranges, queries, pages), the UI has significantly evolved. Screenshots from this article may no longer reflect the current experience.

Next, we’ll take a look at a new feature that allows you to compare metrics by devices. Here, we are taking a look at total clicks for 28 days on a desktop computer compared to mobile devices.

Editor’s Note (2025)

• Device breakdown is still a standard feature. However, Google has fully transitioned to mobile-first indexing since 2019, making mobile performance arguably the most important view today.

The report also allows you to filter by several different factors which will come in handy for content creators and SEOs as it makes it easy to narrow in on specific topics within your site. In the next screenshot we have chosen to look at clicks and impressions from the last 90 days for only URLs that contain ‘fashion’.

Editor’s Note (2025)

• Filtering by query, page, device, and country is still supported — and even more powerful in the current GSC interface. That said, modern SEO tracking also often involves API integrations, GA4 syncing, and tools like Looker Studio for enhanced visual dashboards.

You can drill down even further too! We added filters to the same report as above to get more detailed information. We now have the clicks and impressions for URLs containing ‘fashion’ narrowed to mobile traffic from the United States! Are you as excited as we are?

Our initial opinion of this report is that it’s a really great upgrade for Google Webmaster Tools, probably one of the best we’ve seen thus far. We’ve only just started to experiment with it, but feel the biggest benefit seems to be the fact that we can get granular data faster without having to cross compare with Analytics. We also believe that in the future, the mobile portion will most likely be the most valuable as there is a lot of talk in the SEO world about upcoming mobile algorithm updates.

Editor’s Note (2025)

• That prediction turned out to be true. Mobile optimization is now a fundamental ranking factor, and the tools used in 2015 have grown significantly in their functionality. Google Search Console and GA4 now work hand-in-hand to deliver these insights.

In the end, we are super excited to learn more about it and provide Google with our feedback. We promise to keep you updated…Stay Tuned!

Final Note (2025)

• Looking for the latest SEO tools, mobile-first optimization strategies, and how to make the most of Google Search Console today? Explore our SEO services and insights for expert guidance.

This article was updated to add additional information on August 11th, 2025.