Google Ads: Say Sayonara to Average Position!

August 22, 2019
Posted in Paid Search
22 Aug 2019
Paid Search
August 22, 2019 Jen Lopez

Google Ads: Say Sayonara to Average Position!

Though there has been some chatter, we are now starting to receive official communications from Google that they will be depreciating the Average Position column in Google Ads. We’ve been notified that this change will take place in most of our accounts on September 29, 2019 – and we have heard that Google will attempt to make this sweeping change to all accounts by the end of September 2019.

So, what is (was) Average Position?

Average position is a Google Ads column that showcases your ad rank, which is based on your bids and your quality score. It can be defined as the average position your ad would show in on the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERPS) relative to your competitor’s ads. “Average” position is a bit tricky to understand, because it doesn’t necessarily mean that your ads were IN the position you see assigned to this column. So, if your ad’s average position is 2, your ad actually could have been displayed in the following combination against 3 impressions:

1, 1, 4

When you add all of these positions together – it equals 6, and divided by 3 impressions, the average position would be position 2. But, see how you were never actually in position 2? Yes, this is a thing.

Well…now what?

According to Google’s email, Average Position will be replaced with two other metrics:

  • Impr. (Abs. Top) % – This column will show the percentage of your ads that were shown on the very first position of the Google Search Engine Results page, above organic results and all other ads.
    • Calculation: Impressions on the absolute top (of organic results & other ads) / Impressions
  • Impr. (Top)% – This column will show the percentage of your ads that appear anywhere above the organic results.
    • Calculation: Impressions on the top (of organic results) / Impressions

What To Do Now: A Short Checklist

Check the following areas of your Google Ads account for any reference to the Average Position column or the use of Average Position within a formula. Next, be sure sure to update any of these areas making use of Average Position to use one of the new metrics if/when they are available in your account.

  • Automated Rules (ad & keyword level)
  • Scripts
  • Reports
  • Saved Filters
  • Scorecards in Dashboard
  • Custom Columns

Drop a comment below when you’ve made the updates and receive a virtual high-five from our team to yours 😀 And, as always, if you need further help please reach out to our team.