Performance report in Google Search Console

A website may rank on the first page of Google for some queries and receive virtually no impressions for others. To understand how well it performs in search, you need to check the rankings of individual pages, the number of impressions, and clicks. This data is available in the free Google Search Console.

If you need to know your website's position in Google search, open the Performance report, enable the “Average Position” metric, and select the search query you're interested in. You can also view results for a specific page, compare multiple time periods, and determine which queries generate the most organic traffic.

What is the Performance report in Google Search Console?

The Performance report shows how your website's pages appear in Google search results. It helps you understand which queries users use to find your website, how often they see it in search results, and how many clicks each page receives.

This report is suitable for regular SEO monitoring, evaluating optimization results, and identifying pages with growth potential. For example, if a certain category of an online store receives a lot of impressions but few clicks, you can check its rankings, search queries, and snippet appeal.

What data does the performance report show?

The report features four key metrics: clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position. These are displayed above the graph and are used to analyze the site's search visibility over the selected period.

Additionally, Search Console allows you to group results by queries, pages, countries, devices, dates, and search display types. This allows you to study overall site dynamics or limit your analysis to specific URLs and keyword groups.

What is needed to view a site's rankings?

To use this feature, you'll need a Google account and verified access to your website in Search Console. If the property hasn't been added yet, you'll need to provide its address and verify your rights using one of the methods provided by the service.

Once confirmed, Google will begin providing accessible statistics on search impressions and clicks. If the site is new, the report may remain empty for a while, especially if the pages haven't yet been indexed or are barely appearing in search results.

How can I find out a website's position in Google search using Search Console?

Checking rankings begins with selecting a property and reviewing its performance report. Further steps depend on the information you need: the average ranking of the entire site, a specific URL, or a page for a specific keyword.

For an initial analysis, it's convenient to select the last 28 days and then gradually refine the data using filters. This approach helps avoid drawing conclusions based on random changes in search results over a single day.

How can I see the average position of the entire site?

The overall ranking helps assess a resource's position in Google and track its dynamics. However, this metric depends on the set of queries for which the site received impressions, so it should be compared alongside clicks and search reach.

Step 1: Open Google Search Console

Go to search.google.com/search-console and log in to an account with access to the site. At the top of the interface, select the desired property if your account has multiple domains connected.

In the sidebar, find the “Performance” section and open “Search Results”. A graph with key site metrics and a table containing search queries, pages, and additional parameters will appear.

Step 2: Enable the Average Position metric

Above the chart is the “Average Position” card, which must be activated to view the corresponding data. Once activated, a numerical value will appear, and a line showing the position change over the selected period will be added to the chart.

For example, a value of 8.6 means that the average highest ranking of the resource in the search results taken into account was 8.6. This value is an average based on impressions, so it does not guarantee that the site will rank eighth or ninth for every query.

Step 3: Select the analysis period

At the top of the report, click the date filter and set the desired range. For regular analysis, it's convenient to use the last 28 days, three months, or a custom period corresponding to your completed SEO work.

Please note the most recent data, which is sometimes shown as a dotted line as preliminary data. Figures from the last few hours may still change, so it's best to base final conclusions on completed periods.

How to check the position of a specific website page?

Sometimes a website's overall ranking improves, even as an important commercial page gradually loses visibility. To detect this, you need to examine a specific URL and see which queries are driving impressions.

Step 1: Open the Pages tab

Below the graph, select the “Pages” tab, which lists the URLs appearing in Google search results. Find the address you're interested in and click the corresponding row to apply the page filter.

If the list is large, use the “Add Filter” button and select a condition for the page. You can specify the full URL or part of it, for example, /services/ to view statistics for an entire section of the site.

Step 2: View the details of the selected page

After applying the filter, the metrics above the graph will apply to the selected page or URL group. Check the average position, number of impressions, clicks, and CTR, then open the “Queries” tab.

Here you can see which search terms Google used to display the page to users. If your main commercial page is primarily driven by informational queries, it's worth checking its content and whether it matches the search intent.

How can I find out the position of a page for a specific search query?

The most accurate scenario for practical SEO work involves simultaneous filtering by URL and keyword. This analysis shows the average position of a specific page in search results where it actually appears.

Step 1: Select the query you are interested in

Open the “Queries” tab and search for the desired search phrase, such as “technical website audit”. Click the query row or add the appropriate filter using the bar above the graph.

Once selected, data related to this query will be displayed. If multiple pages on your site rank for this query, you can navigate to a specific URL using the next report tab.

Step 2: Add a filter for the desired page

Switch to the “Pages” tab and select the URL whose position you want to check. The report now combines the search query filter and the page filter.

If the desired address isn't among the results, check the spelling of the URL and the selected period. This page may not have received any impressions for the query you're interested in, or the relevant data may be missing from the available table.

Step 3: Check the average position

Leave the “Average Position” metric enabled and look at the number above the graph. This value will reflect the impressions of the selected page for a specific query during the specified period.

To analyze a single market, additionally specify the country and device. This will ensure the results are tailored to the selected audience segment, which is especially useful when promoting regional services and online stores.

How to read Performance metrics correctly?

Search Console figures should be considered in the context of search demand and user behavior. One page may rank highly but receive few clicks due to low search volume, while another may generate significant traffic due to a large number of search terms.

To evaluate results, it is useful to compare all four metrics and separately examine the pages that account for the majority of search traffic.

Average position

Average position shows the position of the highest-ranking website or selected page in search results for a certain number of impressions. The lower the value, the higher the corresponding result typically ranks in Google.

Let's say a page received one impression each in positions five, seven, and 12. Then its average position would be 8, since the sum of the three values is divided by the number of impressions.

In practice, the calculation takes into account multiple search events, so the results may be fractional. When analyzing the entire site, Google uses the highest resource position for the corresponding impression, while when analyzing a page, its own position is taken into account.

Impressions

Impressions reflect the number of times a website's result was included in Google search results. Counting rules vary depending on the type of search element, so it doesn't always require a user to actually click through to the page.

An increase in impressions often accompanies an expansion of a website's semantic coverage, the appearance of new pages in search results, or increased demand for certain topics. However, an increase in impressions without an increase in clicks does not necessarily confirm improved SEO results.

Clicks

Clicks show the number of times users click from Google Search results to your website. This metric can be used to identify the pages and queries that attract the most organic visitors.

If your ranking for an important keyword has improved, but the number of clicks remains the same, you should check the changes in demand and the appearance of the search result. Sometimes competitors attract more attention thanks to more specific titles or additional search results elements.

CTR

CTR shows the percentage of search impressions that result in a click on a website result. To calculate it, the number of clicks is divided by the number of impressions and multiplied by 100%.

For example, a page received 100 clicks from 2,000 impressions, so its CTR is 5%. This value should be assessed taking into account the position, device, search query, and search results, as there is no universally good CTR for all pages.

How to set up filters to analyze website rankings?

The overall Performance report contains data across various countries, devices, and search queries. Mixing all segments together can miss important changes that affect specific regions or user groups.

Filters help narrow down the data and obtain more useful information for a specific SEO task. Keep in mind, however, that some conditions may reduce the available data volume.

How to view positions by country?

At the top of the report, select “Add Filter”, open the “Country” parameter, and select the desired region. For example, to analyze the performance of a Ukrainian website, select Ukraine to exclude impressions from users in other countries.

After applying the filter, compare the average position and number of clicks with the overall values. Regional differences are especially noticeable for commercial queries, where Google takes into account the user's location and the geographic relevance of the results.

How to check rankings on mobile devices and computers?

Add the “Device” filter and select mobile devices and computers one by one. You can also use the comparison feature to see metrics for both user categories side by side.

If the mobile version of a page receives fewer clicks despite comparable rankings, check the snippet display and mobile search results. Core Web Vitals data and the results of a smartphone user experience test are also useful for analyzing the quality of the page itself.

How to filter queries by words?

The “Queries” filter supports inclusion and exclusion conditions for specific words or character sequences. For example, you can display search queries containing the word “audit” to examine the entire corresponding cluster.

For more complex grouping, regular expressions are available. They can be used to combine multiple keyword variations into a single selection, but they must adhere to the RE2 syntax used by Search Console.

How to separate branded queries from non-branded ones?

Branded queries contain the name of a company, domain, product, or recognizable brand spellings. Non-branded phrases describe a user's need without specifying a specific company, such as “order a website SEO audit”.

Search Console includes a branded and unbranded query filter available for eligible properties. If it's missing, you can use regular filtering by brand name, accounting for possible typos and alternative spellings.

Segmentation is useful for assessing new audience acquisition. However, Google's automatic classification is sometimes inaccurate, so questionable queries should be reviewed manually.

How to choose a search type?

The “Search Type” filter lets you switch between web search, images, videos, and news. To check the rankings of regular text pages, select the appropriate web search type first.

The interface also differentiates web searches between text and multimodal, where images can be part of the query. Direct comparisons of the different search types are not recommended, as the methods for displaying results and user behavior differ.

Why is the average position different from the site's position in Google search results?

When manually checking queries, a situation often arises where Search Console shows an average position of 6.4, but the user only finds the page in ninth place. This discrepancy is due to the calculation methodology and the variability of search results.

Performance data is collected over a specific period and includes impressions under different conditions. A single manual search reflects only the specific search results generated for the user at that moment.

How does Google calculate average position?

Google takes into account the ranking of relevant search results for each impression counted. If multiple URLs from the same website appear on a single search result page, the site's highest position is used when grouping by property.

The position of the selected page is used to analyze a specific URL. This is why the average position in the overall report may differ from the value after switching to the “Pages” tab.

When comparing data, also consider the number of impressions. If a page received ten impressions in a month, its average position is less indicative of sustainable dynamics than statistics for a query with several thousand impressions.

Lead SEO specialist — Gennady

When I analyze a website's Google rankings, I always check which queries the page ranks for and how many clicks they generate. An average position of 7 or 12 without additional data says almost nothing about the quality of SEO. Sometimes rankings improve while traffic remains the same due to changes in demand or search results. In other cases, the average ranking drops, but the site gets more visitors due to an increase in search queries. Therefore, I compare rankings, impressions, clicks, and CTR before recommending changes to the page.

Why do rankings differ across countries and devices?

Google generates results based on the user's location, language, device type, and other factors. Therefore, the same website may appear in different positions when searched from Kyiv, Lviv, and Warsaw.

Search index changes, competition, and results presentation also have an additional impact. For regional projects, it's useful to analyze countries separately and, if necessary, use specialized city-specific position monitoring services.

Why does a manual Google check show a different position?

When searching manually, the user sees results generated for the current time and search context. Search Console displays an average of multiple impressions, so perfect overlap between these sources is not expected.

Incognito mode reduces the influence of some personal factors, but it doesn't eliminate geography and other search results factors. For regular SEO evaluation, it's best to use comparable periods and the same filters, reserving manual checks for competitor analysis and search results formatting.

How to track changes in website rankings in Google?

A one-time check shows the current state of search visibility, but doesn't explain the direction of change. For comprehensive monitoring, it's necessary to compare data over multiple periods, taking into account seasonal demand and the work performed on the site.

The most useful data is the ranking history for specific queries and URLs. It helps identify pages that are gradually losing visibility and evaluate the results of optimization.

How to compare positions over two periods?

Open the date filter and select a comparison mode, such as the last 28 days versus the previous 28 days. Search Console will show changes in key metrics, and the table will allow you to examine differences for individual queries and pages.

When comparing, it's best to use periods of equal length and the same filtering criteria. If your site is highly seasonal, additionally compare the corresponding months of the previous and current year.

How to find queries for which a site has lost rankings?

Enable date comparison, open the “Queries” tab, and examine the difference between average position values. Note the keywords that simultaneously lost positions and received fewer clicks.

To determine the cause, check the relevant pages, changes in demand, and current competitors. If several important URLs have dropped simultaneously, it's worth further investigating indexing, technical errors, and changes to the site structure.

How to find queries with growth potential?

Start with queries for which your site already receives a significant number of impressions but doesn't yet rank in top positions. For example, pages with an average position of 8 to 20 may be suitable candidates for further analysis.

Next, check the page's content, title, internal links, and alignment with user search intent. Simply being in the specified range doesn't guarantee rapid growth, so priority should be determined based on competition and traffic value.

How often should positions be checked?

For most small and medium-sized websites, weekly review of key pages and monthly detailed analysis are sufficient. Monitoring can be more frequent when launching a new section, migrating a site, or making major technical changes.

Daily fluctuations in average ranking are often caused by changes in search query composition and impressions. Therefore, evaluating SEO results on a single day is impractical, especially with low search traffic volumes.

How to use Performance data for SEO?

The report helps identify pages that require additional optimization and verify changes after implementing recommendations. Focus on queries with commercial value, stable impressions, and clear search intent.

Let's look at a hypothetical example of an SEO analysis of an agency's website. All figures in the table are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent actual results from Seo-Gen or other companies.

In the first case, you need to evaluate how well the search result meets user expectations. In the second, you need to determine whether the topic is sufficiently covered and what elements are present on competitors' pages.

How to identify pages for optimization?

Open the “Pages” tab, enable impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position, then find URLs with a significant number of impressions and a low number of clicks. For each page, examine the queries separately and check whether the existing content matches their meaning.

If a single page is showing up for several completely different sets of queries, it might be worth reconsidering your site structure. However, there's no need to create separate pages for each similar phrase, as similar queries are often served by the same high-quality content.

How to improve CTR without changing position?

Start by analyzing the queries that your page is being served for and see how it appears in Google. The title should clearly communicate to the user what the page contains and what problem it solves.

Changing the Title and Description can make search results more appealing, although Google sometimes generates the title or description text itself. Before making changes, check competing snippets and ensure the new version matches the page's content.

How to use positions for internal linking?

Find pages that already receive organic traffic from related queries and check for the possibility of adding useful internal links. The anchor text should naturally describe the target page and match the context of the surrounding text.

For example, an article on technical audits could link to an indexing guide or a resource on setting up Search Console. After implementing changes, it's important to monitor the rankings of target URLs and ensure that multiple site pages aren't competing for the same search intent.

Why is there no position or query I need in Google Search Console?

The absence of a certain phrase in the table doesn't always mean the site has never appeared in Google for it. Search Console applies data storage and display restrictions, and some search queries are hidden to protect user privacy.

Before troubleshooting a technical issue, first check the search period, search type, and filters. Sometimes the information you need is missing solely because your search criteria are too narrow.

Why doesn't Search Console show all search queries?

Google hides some rare queries that could reveal users' personal information. These anonymized queries are not displayed as separate rows in the table, although their data may be included in overall metrics without filtering by query.

Furthermore, the interface displays a limited selection of rows, not all search terms. Therefore, the sum of the visible query results is sometimes less than the total value above the graph.

Why isn't the new page showing up in the report yet?

A new page may be missing because Google hasn't yet discovered it, added it to the index, or shown it in search results. There may also be a delay before the data appears after the first search impressions.

To check, open the URL Inspection tool and check the indexing status. If the page is accessible to the search robot and meets indexing requirements, all that's left to do is wait for the data to be processed, while simultaneously checking internal links and the technical accessibility of the URL.

Why are page metrics referring to a different URL?

Google may combine data from multiple similar URLs and assign them to a selected canonical URL. This occurs when using parameters, duplicate pages, mobile versions, and some redirects.

Check the canonical URL using the URL Inspection tool and compare it with the URL you expect to see in the report. If Google has chosen a different primary URL, you should address duplicates, internal links, and canonical rules.

Why are the data in the graph and in the table different?

The metrics in the graph are typically aggregated at the property level, while individual page data can be calculated for each URL. If a site is represented by multiple results for a single query, the differences between these grouping methods become more pronounced.

Additional discrepancies arise due to anonymized queries, table restrictions, and applied filters. Therefore, when preparing SEO reports, it's important to understand which level of data is being compared and not simply add up the metrics.

How to export a Performance report?

Sometimes, analysis requires combining Search Console data with the semantic core, a list of landing pages, and results from previous months. In such cases, it's more convenient to work with a spreadsheet export.

Exporting also helps you document your search visibility status before moving your site, updating your structure, or making major content changes.

How to download positions and search queries?

Select the desired date range, enable metrics, and apply the necessary filters. Then click the “Export” button and choose Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, or CSV.

In the downloaded file, you can sort queries by average position, number of impressions, and clicks. For regular monitoring, it's useful to save reports for the same periods to compare metrics without manually transferring data.

What restrictions exist for export?

The standard export from the interface is limited to 1,000 rows, so on large sites it may not contain all available search queries. The total values above the graph may include data not included in the exported rows.

For more extensive analysis, you can use the Search Console API or bulk export to BigQuery. These options require separate configuration but are suitable for automated reporting and working with large search data sets.

How is Performance different from other Search Console reports?

Google Search Console offers several reports related to website visibility, but they are designed for different search surfaces. When analyzing rankings, it's important to differentiate between organic search results, Discover recommendations, and specific generative search features.

The search results performance report remains the primary source for checking a page's position for a specific query. Other sections help to complete the traffic picture and identify additional sources of visibility.

Performance and Google Discover

Google Discover shows users recommended content tailored to their interests, even when they don't enter a specific search query. Therefore, the corresponding report uses impressions, clicks, and CTR, but lacks the usual average position metric.

Discover traffic should be analyzed separately from Google Search results. Content can receive significant traffic from recommendations, even though its rankings for relevant queries remain relatively low.

Performance and generative AI reports

In 2026, Google introduced separate visibility reports for websites in generative search features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. This information became available to websites worldwide on August 31, 2026.

These reports help you understand which pages appeared in generative results, in which countries, and on which devices. They don't provide the usual average keyword position, so they don't replace the main Performance report for checking traditional search results.

Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4

Search Console shows how a site appears in Google results: which queries pages appear for, how many impressions they receive, and how rankings change. Google Analytics 4 collects data on site visits and user actions after clicking through.

The number of clicks in Search Console and sessions in GA4 may differ due to counting methods, analytics consent, and other factors. For a comprehensive SEO assessment, it's helpful to compare both sources while maintaining an understanding of the differences between their metrics.

To check your website's ranking in Google, simply open Search Console, go to the Performance report, and enable the Average Position metric. To obtain useful data, you'll also need to select the page, query, country, device, and analysis period.

Regularly comparing rankings, impressions, clicks, and CTR helps you detect drops in search visibility and identify pages that should be optimized first.

If you need a detailed assessment of your website's rankings, technical condition, and the causes of organic traffic loss, contact Seo-Gen. We'll conduct an SEO audit, identify priority pages, and prepare specific recommendations for promotion.