Glossary

Average position

Average position in Search Console is the highest spot your site held for a search, averaged across every time it was shown. It is not a live rank.

By SupaVisible Editorial

Average position is the highest spot your site held in Google's results for a search, averaged across every time it was shown. Google calculates it as the "topmost position occupied by a link to your property", averaged across the searches you appeared in. Lower is better: position 1 is the top.

It is an average, not a live rank. A position of 8.4 over three months can hide a page that swung between 3 and 20. And unless you filter to one search, a page's position blends every search it appeared for.

Positions 11 to 20 are page two, where the striking distance keywords sit. The traps are covered in what impressions, clicks and position mean.

Quick answers

How is average position calculated in Search Console?
For each search, Google records the topmost position any link to your site held, then averages it across every time your site was shown. It is only recorded when there is an impression.

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