Google Ads Bids Farewell to Average Position Metric

Google Ads is doing away with the average position metric. Announced in late February, the move has startled search engine marketers across New Zealand, but Google Ads are fortunately replacing Average Position with new metrics. Let’s take a look at how these new metrics will differ from those that NZ search engine marketers have been accustomed to.

What is Average Position Metric?

Google Ads’ Average Position Metric measured the average position of a Google Ad as it appeared in search engine results pages, with 1 being the absolute top of the page and higher numbers further down.

What Google Ads metrics are replacing Average Position?

• Impression (Absolute Top) % – The percentage of ads the appear at the absolute top of search results pages.
• Impression (Top) % – The percentage of ads that appear among the top portion of ads on search results pages.
• Search (Absolute Top) Impression Share – The number of absolute top impressions your ad received proportionate to the estimated number of absolute top impressions your ad was eligible to receive.
• Search (Top) Impression Share – The number of impressions your ad received among the top portion of ads on search results pages, proportionate to the estimated number of impressions among the top locations your ad was eligible to receive.

Why are these new metrics superior?

Google Ads are replacing the average position metric for a few reasons, but primarily because SERPs don’t always feature the same number of Ads at the top of the page. SERPs feature up to four Ads at the top of the page, but often feature less, so an average position of 4, for example, could still be appearing at the bottom of search pages over 50% of the time. Google Ads’ new metrics are designed to provide more relevant statistics.

These new metrics stand to help search engine marketing NZ wide by offering a clearer picture of where ads appear spatially on the search results page. They can provide a clearer picture of the changes in click-through rate (CTR) you observe based on changes in your position.

How can I make the most of the new Google Ads metrics?

Make adjustments by incorporating these new metrics. For search results that typically show fewer ads above organic results, increasing your bids can help make sure you receive top impressions. However, search results with more ads above organic results could allow you to widen your scope and remain atop organic results.

Also, make use of the Target Impression Share tool to improve the effectiveness of your bidding. Lost impression metrics can help you determine how frequently your ads failed to appear atop organic results due to budget or Ad Rank. With these new metrics, savvy search engine marketers will be even more effective.

Achieve peak performance from your Google Ads

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