Devon Kunkel VP, Technology & Innovation
New Google Ads Metrics For Ad Position
Google Ads are rolling out new metrics to help clarify positioning
Google will now be integrating four new ad metrics into Google Ads to help clarify the positioning of ads displayed in Google Search. The new ad metrics will be as follow; Impression (Absolute Top) % and Impression (Top) % and Search (Abs Top) IS and Search (Top) IS.
The main reasoning behind the change is that the old ad positioning metric did not show where your ad was actually positioned within the search results. Securing position one did not necessarily mean that you had secured the top of the page, rather just the first ad that appeared.
Why does this matter?
Previously Google used an average positioning metric and this has never really been a true indicator of where your ads are actually appearing within the search results page. With right rail ads being a thing of the past; there are now instances where the first set of ads actually appear at the bottom of the results page, below organic results. Hmmm suddenly, that top position may not be as attractive as before and it helps us explain any lower click-through rates that you may be seeing.
Here are the full definitions for the new metrics:
Impr. (Absolute Top) % – the percent of your ad impressions that are shown as the very first ad above the organic search results.
Impr. (Top) % – the percent of your ad impressions that are shown anywhere above the organic search results.
Search (Absolute Top) IS – the impressions you’ve received in the absolute top location (the very first ad above the organic search results) divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive in the top location.
Search (Top) IS – the impressions you’ve received in the top location (anywhere above the organic search results) compared to the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive in the top location.
To summarize…
The two new Impression metrics are great indicators for page location of your ads. You can use these metrics to determine when and where your ad impressions are showing above the organic search results. This is starting to feel eerily similar to above and below the fold when it comes to web design.
If you are currently using average position to bid to a location on a page, Google now suggests using to use Search (Abs Top) IS and Search (Top) IS.