Google Ads is retiring "Average Position" — here's what it means for you
Google Ads is phasing out its Average Position metric, and that means ChannelMix’s standard datasets for Google Ads are changing, too.
Google announced in February the Average Position metric would be retired in September of this year, and the company has added four new metrics to measure ad prominence.
- Impression (Absolute Top) %
- Impression (Top) %
- Search absolute top impression share
- Search (Top) IS
But Why?
Average Position has been a Google Ads metric for a long time. But according to Google, it was never intended to show you where your ads were appearing on a SERP. (Even if that’s what a lot of marketers used Average Position for.)
In reality, Average Position was supposed to show your ad’s position compared to others in the ad auction. And Google says these four new metrics will do a better job of that.
What Does This Mean for My Current ChannelMix Datasets?
Existing datasets that contain Average Position will be filled with NULLs after the field has been sunsetted in September. If there are existing Google Ads datasets in your ChannelMix instance you want updated with the four metrics outlined above [Impression (Absolute Top) %, Impression (Top) %, Search absolute top impression share, and Search (Top) IS], please submit a ticket through the ChannelMix Help Center or contact your Client Solutions Specialist. These requests will be scheduled and addressed prior to Google Ads retiring Average Position.
Is Anything Else Changing?
Starting May 1, in addition to removing Average Position, ChannelMix Google Ads standard datasets will also no longer include Slot. Both fields will be replaced with the four new metrics outlined above as suggested by Google. This will affect the following Google Ads standard datasets.
If you have further questions, please reach out to your Client Solutions Specialist!