Position above rate is a Google Ads metric that shows how often another advertiser’s ad appeared in a higher position than yours, out of the searches where both ads showed. It appears in the Auction Insights report for Search campaigns, with one row for each competitor.
How position above rate works
Google only counts auctions where both of you appeared. If a competitor shows a position above rate of 40%, then in four out of ten of those shared auctions their ad sat above yours. In the rest, you were above them.
The metric only makes sense next to its neighbours in the report:
- Overlap rate: how often that competitor appeared in the same auction as you. It tells you how much the position above rate actually covers.
- Outranking share: how often you ranked above them, or showed when they did not.
- Top of page rate and absolute top of page rate, for each advertiser, show how often their ads reached the positions above the organic results.
Position is decided by Ad Rank, which combines your bid with expected click-through rate, ad relevance, landing page experience and the expected effect of your assets. A competitor can sit above you with a lower bid if their ads are judged more relevant.
Why it matters
Ads in the top positions usually get a larger share of clicks, and for urgent local searches, such as a locksmith or an emergency plumber in London, many people tap the first credible ad they see. A rising position above rate for a key competitor is an early sign that they have raised bids, improved their ads or started targeting your searches.
It is especially useful on brand campaigns. In the UK, Google generally lets competitors bid on your brand name as a keyword, though a trademark complaint can stop them using it in their ad text. If a competitor regularly sits above you on your own name, you are paying to lose your existing customers’ attention.
Common mistakes
- Reading position above rate without overlap rate. A high figure from a competitor you meet in a small share of auctions matters far less than a moderate one from a constant rival.
- Answering every increase by raising bids, when better ads or landing pages could lift Ad Rank at no extra cost per click.
- Looking at the whole account at once. Segment by campaign, device and time, because competition often differs sharply between them.
- Treating it as a goal. Being above a competitor is only worth paying for if it brings conversions at a price that works.
How to act on it
Review Auction Insights monthly for your main campaigns and weekly for brand. For each competitor that matters, note overlap rate and position above rate side by side and watch the trend rather than a single week.
When a competitor climbs above you, look at your quality signals before your bids: is the ad close to what people searched, does the landing page deliver on it, and are your assets complete? If you decide position is worth paying for, target impression share or a higher target on brand terms may be justified; on non-brand terms, test whether the extra cost is repaid in conversions. Interpreting Auction Insights and acting on it is part of my Google search ads management.