What Is Average Position in Google Search Console?
A 'position 4' in Search Console doesn't mean you rank fourth for your keyword. Here is how Google actually calculates the number.
Aditya Challa3 min read
Summary
Average position in Search Console is the topmost position your site's link held on each search results page, averaged across all impressions. It counts only searches where you were actually seen, so a low number can look better than your typical ranking.
How Google defines "position"
Google says position is an attempt to show roughly where on the page a link appeared, relative to other results, usually counted from top to bottom on the main column. A compound element such as a carousel or knowledge panel takes up one position, and every link inside it shares that position.
The calculation, using Google's example
- Query 1 shows your property at positions 2, 4 and 6. Only the topmost counts: 2.
- Query 2 shows it at 3, 5 and 9. It counts as 3.
- Average position = (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.5.
Why it can mislead you
A link needs an impression for its position to be recorded. If you rank on page 3 and the searcher never goes there, nothing is logged. One rare query where you appear at position 2 can pull the average down sharply. On our own young site, some pages show position 2-5 from a handful of impressions and zero clicks. That combination usually means low-volume queries, or a results page where other features take the attention.
How impressions and clicks relate to it
An impression means a link to your site was seen, or could have been seen, in Search, Discover or News. Generally it counts whenever the result appears on the current page of results. Clicks count clicks through to your site. Read position together with both: high impressions, a good position and low CTR point to a title or snippet problem, not a ranking problem.
How to use it properly
- Filter by a single query, and ideally a single country and device, before trusting the number.
- Compare date ranges for the same query, not across different queries.
- Sort pages by impressions, then look for position 3-10 with a weak CTR. Those pages are your quickest wins.
For what happens once AI answers sit above the links, see our guide to answer engines and growing traffic in the AI search era.
FAQ
Is average position 1 always the top organic result?
Not necessarily. Position counts every result element on the page, top to bottom, so other elements are included too.
Why did my average position drop when traffic grew?
New impressions on lower-ranking queries add worse positions to the average, even when total visibility goes up.
Are unseen results counted?
No. A position is recorded only when the result gets an impression.
Sources
Lab evidence
What I found running this
Read Google's Search Console help page on performance report metrics on 10 Oct 2026, and rechecked that it loads on 11 Oct 2026. The worked example of how average position is calculated is Google's own. The site example uses figures from our own Search Console export (last 3 months, www only); it is one small site, not a controlled test.
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