The performance report is the report in Google Search Console that shows how often a website appeared in Google Search results and how often users clicked it. This entry covers the Search Console report, not performance reports in HR, schools or email tools.
Which metrics does the report show?
Four metrics sit at the center, and Google defines each of them.
- Clicks are the number of times a user clicked through to your site from Google Search results.
- Impressions are how many times your site appeared in Search results.
- CTR is the click count divided by the impression count.
- Average position is the average position of the topmost result from your site.
The data can be split by dimensions such as query, page, country, device and date. Choosing a search type, for example web or image search, changes which results are included.
How to read the numbers
Position is an average over many searches, devices and places. It does not describe a fixed rank.
When two results from the same site appear for one query, they count as a single impression in the chart total. Counting rules for clicks and impressions, such as canonical URL assignment, are documented on a separate help page.
Example
The row for the query “running shoes women” shows 1,200 impressions, 60 clicks and an average position of 6.3. The CTR is 60 / 1,200, which is 5 percent. (Illustrative values.)
Common mistakes
- Reading the average position as an exact ranking.
- Comparing Search Console clicks with Analytics sessions as if they were the same figure.
- Judging a page by clicks alone without looking at the impressions behind them.
FAQ
What does the performance report show? Clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for your site in Google Search.
Where is the report located? In Google Search Console, in the section for search results performance.
Sources
- Performance report – Search Console Helpsupport.google.com
- How clicks and impressions are counted – Search Console Helpsupport.google.com
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