Track Rankings in 2027 With Search Console

That phrase has two consequences. First, if two of your pages appear for one search, only the topmost one counts. Second, because it is an average over many searches, one person in one city may see something different. Google notes that results vary by time, place, device and search history.

In the table, the value “is the average position in Search results for the specific URL or grouping dimension shown in the table row.” So for a query row, you get the average for that query. For a page row, you get the average for that page across its queries.

// quotes from Google Search Console Help, “Performance report”, checked 11 Nov 2026. I could not find a statement about price on the Google pages I read, so I do not quote one.

1. Verify your site in Search Console. My setup guide takes you through it.
2. Open Performance and turn on Average position next to clicks and impressions.
3. Go to the Queries tab and find the ten searches that matter most to your business.
4. Filter to one query at a time, or add a Page filter to see where a specific page stands.
5. Set the same date range each month, such as the last full month, so the numbers stay comparable.
6. Copy position, clicks and impressions into a sheet. Add the date and any change you made.
7. Review every month. Look for movement of several positions, not tiny wobbles.

For finding candidate queries, read my guide to finding keywords in Search Console queries.

// the paid-tool column describes the typical case, in my opinion. Individual tools differ. See best SEO tools.

• Chart and table totals differ. Google says chart data is aggregated by property, so “if two results from the same site appear for one query, they count as a single impression in the chart total.” Tables for Pages aggregate by page.
• Averages hide detail. A query that is position 1 for locals and position 20 elsewhere shows as a mid number.
• Fresh data is preliminary. It “might change in the next few hours”, and normal data arrives in 2 to 3 days.
• Row cap. Tables show at most 1,000 rows.
• New or rare queries may be missing, because not all queries beyond anonymized queries are shown.

// my decision cards, based on experience.

A bakery in Leeds tracks “birthday cakes leeds”. In March the average position is 9.4. The owner rewrites the page with prices, delivery areas and photos. In April the position is 7.9, and in May 6.5. Clicks rise a little too.

Is that proof the rewrite worked? Not quite, because other things can change. But with the date and the edit in the sheet, the owner has good evidence. If the position had dropped instead, the sheet would show what to check first.

Notice that the owner never needed a paid tool. Ten queries, one sheet and ten minutes a month are enough for a small business.

// invented example for illustration. No ranking is guaranteed.

• The date ranges are the same length each month.
• Your queries are filtered exactly the same way.
• The sheet has a notes column for changes.
• You compared at least three months before reacting.

For the bigger picture of results, see tracking SEO results. If you want somebody to run this for you, I’m a cheap SEO expert, and the SEO audit service includes a baseline of your positions.

• Google Search Console Help: Performance report
• Google Search Console Help: About Search Console data
• Google Search Console: About

// last checked 11 Nov 2026. Example data is invented. The comparison with paid trackers is my opinion.