Average position looks simple: where do you rank? But in Google Search Console it’s an average of many different searches, and that makes it easy to misread.
How it’s calculated
For each search where your site appeared, Google takes the position of your highest-ranking link. Then it averages those positions across all the searches, weighted by impressions.
A few details:
- Position 1 is the top result. Google counts positions in order down the page, and features like a featured snippet or a link inside an AI Overview take a position too.
- If your result appears in a carousel or block, it gets the block’s position.
- Searches where you didn’t appear at all aren’t included, so the figure only reflects searches where you were shown.
Why it can mislead
Brightside Dental’s site-wide average position drops from 14 to 21 in a month. The owner worries. But the drop came from the site starting to show for hundreds of new, long-tail searches at positions 30 to 60. Nothing lost ground; the site simply gained visibility for new terms, which pulled the average down. Clicks actually went up.
The reverse happens too: losing impressions for low-ranking searches can make average position “improve” while traffic falls.
Location matters as well. For local searches, the position varies by where each searcher is, so the average blends very different results.
How to read it properly
- Filter by query, or query and page. Average position for one specific search is far more meaningful than a site-wide figure.
- Read it with impressions and clicks. Position alone doesn’t tell you if traffic is healthy.
- Compare like periods.
- Use a rank tracker for specific targets. Search Console shows an average across all users and locations. A rank tracker checks one keyword from one place on one device, so it’s consistent day to day.
Average position versus rank tracking
| Search Console average position | Rank tracking | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Real searches by real users | Scheduled checks from a set location |
| Coverage | Every query you appeared for | Keywords you choose |
| Location | Blended across all searchers | Fixed, e.g. “Austin, TX, mobile” |
| Best for | Spotting new queries and trends | Tracking priority keywords consistently |
Common mistakes
- Reporting a site-wide average position as a KPI
- Panicking at a lower average when impressions are growing
- Ignoring CTR, which depends heavily on position
How to track it
RankThat’s Rank Tracker checks your Google positions daily or weekly for chosen keywords, on desktop and mobile, from any location, with the ranking page and URL switching recorded. Search Performance in RankThat shows Search Console’s average position alongside.