What’s Going On and Why You Don’t Need to Worry

TL;DR: If your keyword rankings look broken this week, don’t panic. Google has changed how search results are displayed, and it’s confusing SEO tools—not hurting your actual rankings.

Why do my SEO reports suddenly look so wrong?

Imagine opening your rank tracker and seeing half your keywords vanish overnight. It looks scary, right? That’s what many businesses noticed this week. Keywords gone. Impressions down. Positions jumping around like crazy.

But here’s the truth: nothing is wrong with your SEO. It’s Google that’s shifting the ground under the tracking tools.

So, What Did Google Just Change Behind the Scenes?

For years, SEO platforms could pull 100 results from a single search page. That meant you could see if your keyword ranked on page 1… or page 7.

Now, in many cases, Google is cutting it back to only 10 results per page. Tools can’t “see” beyond page 1, so rankings outside the top 10 look like they’ve disappeared.

As Search Engine Roundtable pointed out, this affects every rank tracker, not just one. Search Engine Land even called it “a mess.”

Bottom line: this is a measurement issue, not a rankings crash.

Did my Google rankings actually drop?

No. Your rankings are still there. What’s happening is a reporting glitch caused by Google’s change. Here’s how it shows up:

Keywords beyond page one may look “missing”
Impressions may appear lower
Average position may look strange

But when we look at the real numbers:

Google Analytics: Global reports show a split: a third up, a third down, and a third flat.*
Google Search Console: Even with fewer impressions, clicks and CTR kept delivering.
Business results: Sales, leads, and bookings haven’t gone anywhere.

*Boylen delivered a +355% net organic traffic lift for SEO clients during a turbulent month.

Should I be worried?

Not at all. This isn’t just you—it’s the entire SEO industry dealing with the same shake-up. Your website performance hasn’t suddenly dropped. The way we measure it has.

FAQs

Q: Why are my SEO keywords missing in reports?

A: Because Google is showing fewer results per search. Keywords beyond page one don’t always show up in trackers.

Q: Did my rankings actually drop?

A: No. This is a measurement issue. Your site is still performing.

Q: Is this only affecting us?

A: No—it’s industry-wide, impacting all rank trackers.

Q: What should I focus on right now?

A: The metrics that matter: traffic, clicks, and conversions. Not just ranking visuals.

Don’t Panic—We’re on Top of It

Google will always change the rules. Sometimes that makes reporting look messy, but it doesn’t mean your SEO stopped working.

Your rankings are fine—it’s the tools that are broken.

And if you want an SEO team that explains, adapts, and keeps your growth safe every time Google flips the script, we’ve got you covered.