Average Page Position Reporting Metric
Back in March 2019, the digital community started talking about Google’s decision to sunset the Average Page Position Metric and remove it from its reporting platforms. With this change, Google introduced two new metrics that had originally launched in November 2018, Search Absolute Top Impression Share, and Search Top Impression Share.
Google has officially stopped reporting on this data point. Now that this metric is gone, you may be wondering… what’s next?
First, let’s talk about the two new metrics, Search Absolute Top Impression Share, and Search Top Impression Share. Since these metrics do differ in focus, be careful using the new metrics because it might adjust campaigns in a way that’s counterintuitive to optimization goals. Using impression share rate metrics can lead to an increase in Cost per Click (CPCs), which will ultimately result in an increased Cost per Lead (CPL) and fewer clicks, counteracting our internal optimization for the best CPCs and CPLs.
Depending on your goal, I have two suggestions:
- If your goal is to get leads at the lowest cost, look at Cost per Lead (CPL) and Cost per Good Lead (CPGL) metrics. Our optimization is designed to generate leads at the lowest possible CPL while making sure that the campaign is getting enough clicks and visibility throughout the day, based on the campaign’s budget.
- If the goal is to be in the top position, regardless of CPL, search managers should use these two new metrics straight from Google, as it can inform the manager how competitive their bids are for the top or absolute top position, and can their adjust bids accordingly