If you are a small business running Google Ads, you might have been confused when Google announced that the average position metric would be removed from Google Ads as of Sept 2019. As a result of the average position metric getting removed, the following features will also be disabled:
- Rules using average position
- Custom columns using average position
- Saved reports that filter on average position
- Saved filters with average position
Lastly, Google notes that the average position metric will be removed from saved column sets, saved reports that use the average position column, and scorecards that use average position.
Many small business owners who manage their own Google Ads campaigns have asked us why, since many people target being in the top 3 positions as a key management tool.
The answer is that Google is removing average position after introducing two new metrics that actually provide a clearer view of where ads actually appear in a SERP (Search Engine Results Pages).
Those metrics include absolute top impression and top impression. Absolute top refers to the very first position in a SERP, while a top impression refers to any position within the top set of paid listings. To quote Google:
“With the availability of these new metrics to understand prominence, we plan to sunset average position in September of this year. If you currently use average position, we recommend that you start using these new metrics when measuring and optimizing for prominence.”
If you need any help with this or any other aspect of your paid Google Ads campaigns, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.