“My company needs to be shown first in a Google result”.
We’ve all heard that from a client before, right? We’ve all tried to explain it might not be the best metric to measure, right? Well, paid specialists, rejoice! Google is saying goodbye to average position, one of the original search metrics.
Ad position refers to the ordering of the paid search results, but not the location of the paid search results, meaning you might achieve the number one ad position but that doesn’t necessarily mean your ad is showing up at the top of the search engine results page (SERP).
Why the change, Google?
Although it is valuable to know how your ads show on the search results page, Google doesn’t believe average position is as useful as it once was.
In place of average position, Google rolled out four new metrics that can provide a clearer view of your prominence on the page.
- Top Impression Rate: Percentage of your total impressions that are coming from the top of the SERP (above organic results)
- Absolute Top Impression Rate: Percentage of your total impressions that are coming from the very top of the SERP
- Top Impression Share: Rate at which you’re turning opportunities to appear at the top of the SERP into actual impressions at the top of the SERP
- Absolute Top Impression Share: Rate at which you’re turning opportunities to appear at the very top of the SERP into actual impressions at the very top of the SERP
What’s next?
The bottom line is pay-per-click advertising is an evolving advertising channel and will continue to be for years to come. As Google continues to modify and improve its platform, it’s important that digital marketers understand and adapt to the changes.
If you’re looking for an expert to help you navigate Google advertising and automated bidding strategies, give us a call. We’re always down to help you make the most of your pay-per-click campaigns.