{"id":1133,"date":"2026-10-05T20:43:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T20:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seoscanpro.ai\/blog\/google-old-position-1-10-hard-to-map\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:05:49","slug":"google-old-position-1-10-hard-to-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seoscanpro.ai\/blog\/google-old-position-1-10-hard-to-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Google: Old Position 1-10 Ranking Is Hard To Map For Site Owners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Site owners can now see a clearer picture of where their pages actually land in modern Google results. A Google representative recently explained that the traditional “position 1 to 10” ranking metric is hard to map because today’s search results pages contain many interactive elements, including AI Overviews, featured snippets, and People Also Ask boxes, making a single numeric position less meaningful.<\/p>\n

Why a single rank position no longer fits the modern SERP<\/h2>\n

The classic top-10 list assumed a page of ten blue links. Modern Google results pages look very different. AI Overviews sit at the top with multiple citations, featured snippets pull content above the organic links, and People Also Ask boxes, image packs, and other treatments fill the page. A site can be visible on the same results page in several places at once, and a single “position” no longer captures that.<\/p>\n

In a Reddit thread, a Google search relations representative responded to questions about how impressions are counted for Generative AI in Google Search Console. Google already publishes a help document explaining how these impressions are tallied, and the representative pointed readers to it. What was new was the added comment: the old “position 1 to 10” is hard to map, or to make useful for site owners.<\/p>\n

How Google Search Console currently handles position for Gen-AI results<\/h2>\n

For generative AI results specifically, Google treats position tracking the way it tracks many other search features, as a unit rather than a number. The Generative AI performance report does not separate position out the way the standard search report does. The reasoning is that a numbered slot does not reflect how users actually encounter these results.<\/p>\n

A representative asked the community for feedback on what would be useful for tracking position in this environment and offered to take suggestions back to the team.<\/p>\n

What this means for measuring search performance<\/h2>\n

The practical takeaway for site owners is that average position is becoming a weaker proxy for visibility. A page can show up in an AI Overview citation, a featured snippet, and the regular organic results on the same query, and each of those placements reaches users in a different way. Reporting that rolls those placements up into a single average number loses that detail.<\/p>\n

Anyone auditing a site now has more reason to look beyond position and toward impressions, click-through rate, and the specific SERP features where a page appears. Tools that map rank across a whole service area, rather than a single average, can show where a business is visible and where it is missing. SEOScanPro’s GEO Grids<\/a> (https:\/\/seoscanpro.ai) do this by reporting rank position for every town and suburb in a service area rather than one city-wide average.<\/p>\n

What to watch next<\/h2>\n

Google has not committed to a replacement metric. For now, the Generative AI performance report continues to treat AI placements as a block rather than numbered slots. If Google changes how it reports position for these features, that will show up in the Search Console help documentation first. Site owners who want early signal on how their pages appear in AI-driven results should keep an eye on that documentation and on the Reddit threads where Google’s search relations team has been asking for feedback.<\/p>\n

FAQ<\/h2>\n

Why does Google say position 1-10 is hard to map?<\/h3>\n

Modern Google search results pages include AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and other interactive features, so a site can appear in multiple places on the same page. A single number from 1 to 10 cannot capture that, which is why Google says the old position scale is hard to make useful for site owners.<\/p>\n

How does Google Search Console track position for AI Overviews?<\/h3>\n

For generative AI results, Google Search Console tracks position the way it tracks many search features: as a block. The Generative AI performance report does not break position out into separate numbered slots.<\/p>\n

What should site owners track instead of average position?<\/h3>\n

Site owners get more useful signal from impressions, click-through rate, and the specific SERP features where a page appears, such as AI Overview citations or featured snippets, than from a single average position number.<\/p>\n

Try the Search Console analytics view<\/h2>\n

\"SEOScanPro,<\/a><\/p>\n

The Search Console analytics view runs a full technical audit of a site and shows the measured result behind every check. Open the Search Console analytics view<\/a>.<\/p>\n