Definition
Average position in Google Search Console is the mean position of your topmost result across the impressions included in a report. Lower numbers mean higher placement. If your highest result appears at position 3 for one impression and position 7 for another, the average is 5. It does not mean you always rank fifth.
Why the average can mislead
At property level, Google uses your site's highest result for each impression. Filtering to a page changes what the metric describes. Countries, devices, queries and result types also affect the average.
A page can gain visibility for new queries at lower positions and see its average position worsen while clicks grow. Compare the same query and page with consistent filters before calling a change a ranking loss. Read click-through rate and clicks alongside position.
Where to see it
Enable average position in Search Console's Performance report, then examine query or page rows. Use a country or device filter to narrow the comparison. Bing Webmaster Tools and Yandex Webmaster also report positions, but their data and reporting rules differ; avoid treating engine averages as identical measurements.
Ask mowteng about positions
mowteng reads average position with clicks, impressions and CTR from Search Console. Its striking distance analysis finds queries averaging positions 11–20. For changes over time, use a date-range comparison and ask for query-level detail.
Compare my top queries over the last 28 days with the previous 28. Show clicks, impressions and average position, and separate ranking declines from newly appearing queries.