New GSC Search Analytics report: position mixes web and image

[seidelbast]

Dear all,

I am auditing a site in Google Seach Console (GSC, formerly Google Webmaster Tools) and find the Position data in the new Search Analytics report very, very improbable.

I suspect that even if you filter by "SearchType = web", the Position data does count the ranking of images in the Image search widget as a search position.

Has anybody observed this as well?

Here is the case: the site targets a quite broad search query in the bath room domain. I have made a number of searches with private browser sessions, different browsers, alternative IP address via a VPN, etc, and the look of the search result in the relevant geographical market is consistently the following.

1.Three Adwords ads
2.#1 organic result
3.Images universal results widget
4.#2-10 organic results

The site’s first page ranks consistently around #15 of the organic results, hence on the second SERP. But it also consistently has an image in the Images universal results widget (usually #2 or #3).

This is consistent with the data I have in Moz Analytics.

Yet, the GSC Search Analytics report shows 2.2 as average position with the default SearchType=Web setting.

I have done the search over and over, and never has a PAGE of the site ranked that high.

Is there any public information how exactly the position is calculated? I mean, something more precise than the very general information on [support.google.com ]

Is there any way to get the correct position/ranking?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[themaninthejar]

I've been seeing this on my main keyphrase for about two years now. WMT shows me at page one or two, where in reality it's page forty or fifty. When I previously raised this here it was theorised that image results were included and averaged with web results. I never believed this as I could never find image results high enough to tip the average. With the new system it seems you can choose Web and specifically exclude Image and Video. But the same discrepancy persists.
My only guess is that the results shown are what the algo delivers before Google suppresses the result in the serps for reasons of its own.

[seidelbast]

Hello themaninthejar,

Thank you for contributing your experience!

When you say "When I previously raised this here" - can you provide a link to this thread?

Thanks in advance!

[themaninthejar]

I don't think I can - it was a long while ago.

[FranticFish]

My only guess is that the results shown are what the algo delivers before Google suppresses the result in the serps for reasons of its own.

That would be my guess too, or that what is sent to GSC/WMT is from an earlier stage in the rankings process, or even not quite the 'live' algorithm.

I observed this behaviour with a site that was under an algorithmic penalty. GSC/WMT reported a position some 20 places higher than any ranking I (or anyone else) could observe, for 6 months, until the penalty was lifted.