What Is Average Position in Google Search Console?

Average position in Google Search Console is the average of the highest spot your site's link held each time it got an impression in Google Search, where 1 is the top. Google counts only your topmost link per query. Every link inside one element, such as an AI Overview, shares that element's position. A result nobody saw records no position.

TL;DR

• Average position is a relative ranking. Position 1 is the top of the results page. Google records it only for Google Search results. Discover and the Google News app have no position.
• For each query, only your site's topmost link counts. Those topmost positions are then averaged.
• A position is recorded only when your link gets an impression. A result on page 3 that nobody scrolls to adds nothing.
• The chart shows a site-level figure. The table shows a figure per query or per page, and the two are counted differently.
• Google's own advice is to focus more on trends in impressions and clicks than on position alone.

What average position measures

Google's help page on Search Console metrics defines position as "a relative ranking of the position of your link on Google, where 1 is the topmost position, 2 is the next position, and so on" (Search Console Help: impressions, position and clicks, as of 30 September 2026). The report shows it as an average because your link can sit in a different place each time someone sees it.

The rule that matters most: "The position value shown in the Performance report is the topmost position occupied by a link to your property or page in search results, averaged across all queries in which your property appeared." Google gives this example:

• Query 1 shows your site at positions 2, 4 and 6. Only 2 counts.
• Query 2 shows your site at positions 3, 5 and 9. Only 3 counts.
• Average position = (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.5.

Positions are counted top to bottom on the main side of the page, then top to bottom on the secondary side. Google notes that this method "might change in the future".

How search features change the number

Each element on a results page takes one position, even if it holds many links. That includes AI Overviews and carousels. Ads do not take a position. An element whose only links start a new Google search (a "query refinement") takes no position either. The table below summarises Google's documented rules.

Result type	How position is assigned
Plain blue link	Standard rules: its place on the page, counted top to bottom.
AI Overview	The AI Overview takes one position. Every link inside it gets that same position.
AI Mode	Same method as a normal results page. A follow-up question counts as a new query.
Carousel	One position for the whole carousel, shared by all items, if the items can hold a position.
Knowledge panel	One position for all links in the panel. In Google's example the panel is position 6, the largest number on the page, yet it sits in a very prominent spot.
Featured snippet	Typically position 1.
Image search tab	Counted left to right, then top to bottom, so screen width changes the number.
Discover and Google News app	No position is recorded.

Because of these rules, Google warns that "a position number can mean different things in different situations". A position of 11 could be the top of a knowledge panel on desktop or the first result on page 2.

Chart figure vs table figure

The chart and the table can show different averages for the same period. The Performance report overview says the chart shows "the average position of the topmost result from your entire site", while the table shows the average for each query, page or other row.

When you group by Pages or Search appearance, the table is counted per page, not per site. Google's About the data page gives a worked example: if one user sees three of your pages at positions 1, 2 and 3, the property shows an average position of 1, but each URL is counted separately and the page view averages to 2. So a page-level average is often lower (a bigger number) than the site-level one.

How to check average position in Google Search Console

1. Open Search Console, choose your property and click Performance > Search results.
2. Click the Average position box above the chart to turn the metric on. Turn off the other metrics if you want to see the line clearly.
3. Set the date range. For trends, switch the granularity dropdown to Weekly or Monthly to smooth out weekday swings.
4. Open the Queries tab to see average position for each query, or the Pages tab to see it for each URL.
5. Click + Add filter to narrow the view to a page, a folder, a country or a device. You can also click any row to filter by it.
6. To see change, open the date filter, choose Compare, pick two periods and click Apply. Sort by the Difference column.

Google's common tasks guide describes the same steps for tracking position history and adds: "In general, it's recommended to focus more on trends in impressions and clicks than on position alone."

Why average position moves when nothing changed

Average position can move for reasons that have nothing to do with a ranking change. They come from the way the number is built.

• New impressions at lower spots. If Google starts showing a page for many new queries at position 40, those impressions join the average and pull it down, even if your main rankings held.
• Lost impressions at low spots. The reverse also happens. If low-ranking impressions drop out, the average improves with no real gain.
• Topmost link only. A second page of yours ranking at position 3 below your position 1 page does not show in the site figure.
• Personalised results. Google says your own search can show a different position "because of many variables, such as your search history, location, and so on".
• Filtered views. Query and URL filters drop anonymized queries and may be affected by data truncation, so a filtered average can differ from the unfiltered one (advanced filtering and comparison).

If you see a dash (-) instead of a number, there was no impression for that row, so no position was recorded.

How to read it well

Read average position next to impressions and clicks, never alone. Impressions vs clicks in Search Console explains how those two are counted. Segment before you judge: one page, one topic or one country at a time. Regex filters make it easy to split branded from non-branded queries, which usually rank very differently. For a wider view of which numbers are worth tracking, see essential SEO metrics that actually matter.

If you want to turn position into a traffic estimate, our keyword traffic forecast calculator models clicks from search volume and ranking. For reporting that ties rankings to revenue, see our analytics and reporting service.

Frequently asked questions

Is average position the same as my ranking?

No. It is an average of the topmost position your site held across every impression in the period. A single search you run yourself may show a different position because results vary by location, device, time and search history.

Is a lower or higher average position better?

A lower number is higher on the page. Position 1 is the top. But a rising number is not always bad news: it can mean Google is showing your pages for more queries at lower spots, which adds impressions.

Do AI Overview links get their own position?

No. Google's documentation says an AI Overview takes a single position, and every link inside it is assigned that position. You cannot tell from average position alone whether an impression came from an AI Overview or a blue link.

Why is the chart average different from the table?

The chart is aggregated by property. The table is aggregated by property for queries, countries, devices and dates, but by page for the Pages and Search appearance tabs. Anonymized queries and the 1,000-row table limit also cause gaps.

Why do some rows show a dash instead of a position?

A dash means no position was recorded because your link got no impression in that segment. Google's example is a page with impressions on desktop but none on mobile: mobile shows a dash.

Sources

• What are impressions, position, and clicks? (Search Console Help, as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: overview and basic setup (as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: about the data (as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: common tasks and use cases (as of 30 September 2026)
• Performance report: advanced filtering and comparison (as of 30 September 2026)

This post is part of our Google Search Console guide.

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