What is average position?
Average position is the Search Console metric that tells you where your site's highest link sat in the results, averaged across every search in which it appeared. Lower is better. It is rarely a whole number, and it is not the same thing as "your ranking".
It is the most misread number in the Performance report, mostly because averages hide what they are made of.
How Google calculates it
For each search where your site appears, Google records the position of your topmost link. Positions are counted down the page, including search features that hold links. Those per-search values are then averaged.
A worked example for one query on one day:
| Search | Your links at positions | Position recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 and 7 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 9 | 9 |
Average position: (2 + 4 + 9) / 3 = 5.0. The link at position 7 is ignored in the property view, because only the highest counts.
Results differ by user, place, device and moment, so three people searching the same words can see you at three positions. The metric averages across all of them.
Why the site-wide figure misleads
The average for a whole property mixes every query, weighted by impressions. Suppose you rank first for your brand name with 1,000 impressions and then start appearing at position 40 for a broad term with 9,000 impressions. Your average position goes from 1 to about 36. Nothing got worse. You gained visibility, and the average "fell".
The reverse also happens: losing a batch of low rankings makes the average look better while traffic potential shrinks. For this reason the site-wide number is close to meaningless. Use the metric per query, or per page and query together.
Reading it properly
- Filter to one query and watch the trend over weeks, not days.
- Pair it with impressions. An average of 3 from 12 impressions is noise.
- Compare like with like. Set the country and device filters. Mobile and desktop positions often differ.
- Expect decimals. 6.4 means you were sometimes higher and sometimes lower. It does not mean a slot between sixth and seventh.
- Check the search type. Web, image, video and news positions are separate.
Position is not what it used to be
Position counts places in a list. What matters is what the searcher sees. A result at position 1 can sit below ads, an AI Overview and a block of questions. A featured snippet takes position 1 and may absorb the click or satisfy the query on the spot. An item in a carousel takes the position of the carousel as a whole.
So a steady average position with falling clicks is not a contradiction. Look at the results page for the query to see what now sits above you.
Using it to choose work
Position bands translate into different jobs:
| Average position | What usually helps |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Protect it. Improve the title and description to win more clicks |
| 4 to 10 | Strengthen the page: fuller answers, better internal links |
| 11 to 20 | Close enough to matter. These are the best candidates for a content update |
| 20+ | The page may not match the intent, or the topic needs a dedicated page |
For queries where two of your pages trade places, compare them under the Pages tab with the query filter on. That pattern is keyword cannibalization, and merging or differentiating the pages often lifts the stronger one. Our guide to refreshing old posts covers the 11 to 20 band.
Common questions
What is a good average position?
For a single important query, 1 to 3 gets most clicks. For a whole site the number has no good or bad value, because it blends every query you appear for.
Why did my average position drop when traffic did not?
Most often because the site began appearing for new queries at low positions. Those impressions pull the average down without taking away any existing clicks.
Is average position the same as ranking?
No. Ranking tools check one position at one moment from one location. Average position is the mean of your topmost position across all real searches in the period.