Average position metric to be sunsetted by Google Ads

Google has announced that from September 2019, average position will no longer be reported on. This follows the introduction of ‘Search Top Impression Share’ and ‘Search Absolute Top Impression Share’ in 2018. Average position was merely a measure of where an advert was ranking amongst other advertisers in an auction.

Search Top Impression Share is a more accurate measure of how often an advert is appearing in the top results of the page, with Search Absolute Top Impression Share measuring how often an advert is appearing at the very top of the page. Pallavi Naresh, Google Ads product manager, said: “These new metrics give you a much clearer view of your prominence on the page than average position does.” Average position is one of the oldest metrics within Google Ads, and signals a move away from old-fashioned reporting and towards more accurate percentage figures of performance. In practicality, nothing will change with campaigns, but it will be worth keeping an eye on any changes to bidding strategies, particularly around ‘Target Search Position’ bidding.