The Great Decoupling of Google Search: A Shift from Clicks to Impressions
June 3, 2025 — Over the last several months, the world of SEO has witnessed a meteoric change in how Google Search measures performance. The addition of AI Overviews in Google Search recently has left publishers, website owners, and SEO specialists confused. Google Search Console reports indicate that, though the impressions can remain constant or even grow, Google Search clicks are plummeting by leaps and bounds. This has led to the controversy over “The Great Decoupling” in the SEO community.
What is The Great Decoupling?
Darwin referred to it as “The Great Decoupling” on X after noticing a trend in Google Search Console performance reports. After users started reporting their discoveries, the trend was more pronounced: impressions are robust, but the associated clicks have plummeted. It was a dramatic difference from historical trends when clicks and impressions normally moved in tandem.
Larry Engel, another renowned SEO personality, posted a chart on LinkedIn showing this very problem. His chart became viral, and it precisely captured high impressions and low click-through rate (CTR). Other people such as Sankarnarayan R posted similar charts, showing this trend on other media.
The AI Overviews Impact
Among the biggest changes that appear to have brought this about is the adoption of AI Overviews within Google Search. These AI-driven overviews give an overview of search results in brief, generally discouraging the user from going on to a website. While Google’s PR assures us that greater diversity in search results (and therefore the resultant diversity of links) points towards better traffic, independent studies show otherwise.
Because of AI Overviews consuming increasingly more real estate in search results, it’s become harder for sites to get user clicks. Impressions are remaining the same, or even increasing, but related clicks are not moving on the same path.
Why the Downward Slide in Click-Through Rates
The fall in clicks in spite of rising impressions is due to the more comprehensive and descriptive summaries being shown right within search results now. Google’s artificially created snippets provide users with sufficient information without necessarily visiting the site. While this enhances user experience by giving them instant answers, it’s a problem for site owners who depend on clicks for traffic.
One of the more definite instances of this phenomenon can be seen on site owners’ Google Search Console reports. These reports indicate a sharp gap between clicks and impressions, with impressions remaining level or increasing, but with clicks plummeting.
Example: One graph posted by Larry Engel on LinkedIn demonstrates the decoupling effect well. The impressions remain high, but the Google Search clicks trend steadily down.
A Sad Reality for SEO
This “The Great Decoupling” phenomenon is quite a frightening trend for the SEO crowd. Although Google Search Console data are useful, they paint a dire picture for most publishers whose organic traffic are in free fall. With AI Overviews by Google taking over increasingly search results, the future of search is certainly going to be quite different.
Also Read: Want Your Website to Show Up in Google AI Mode?
Is This the Future of Google Search?
As the SEO community tries to adapt to this change, the overall picture is unclear. Is this just a short-term drop, or is it the breaking of a new pattern in how users engage with search results? As of now, it looks like “The Great Decoupling” isn’t going anywhere, and webmasters will need to find a way to cope with these new dynamics in the world of Google Search.
This piece seeks to illuminate the Great Decoupling and its effects on Google Search, particularly the profound impression-click disparity. As Google keeps pushing innovation in AI features, the real effects on organic traffic are a leading area of concern.