skill-135-top-of-page-rate-monitoring

Skill 135: Top of Page Rate Monitoring

Purpose

Monitor top-of-page and absolute-top position rates to ensure ads appear in premium SERP positions that drive better CTR and conversions. Identify campaigns/keywords underperforming on position and recommend bid or QS improvements.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Custom GAQL Required

Position metrics require custom GAQL queries.

GAQL Query:

SELECT
  campaign.name,
  ad_group.name,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.search_top_impression_share,
  metrics.search_absolute_top_impression_share,
  metrics.search_impression_share
FROM ad_group
WHERE campaign.advertising_channel_type = 'SEARCH'
  AND campaign.status = 'ENABLED'
  AND segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS

Run via /google-ads:get-custom with query name serp_position_metrics.

Analysis Steps

1. Fetch position metrics: Run GAQL query for top IS metrics
2. Calculate position rates: Top IS and Absolute Top IS by campaign/ad group
3. Segment by position tier: Premium (>80%), Good (60-80%), Moderate (40-60%), Low (<40%)
4. Correlate with performance: Compare CTR/conversion rate by position tier
5. Identify improvement opportunities: Flag high-value entities with low top IS

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
Brand campaign Top IS < 80%	Critical
High-value campaign Abs Top IS < 20%	Warning
Top IS declining >10% week-over-week	Warning
Non-brand campaign Top IS < 40%	Info

Output

Short format (default):

## SERP Position Audit

**Account:** [Name] | **Campaigns:** [X] | **Low Position Issues:** [Y]

### Position Summary by Campaign
| Campaign | Top IS | Abs Top IS | Category |
|----------|--------|------------|----------|
| [Brand] | [X]% | [Y]% | Premium |
| [Product] | [X]% | [Y]% | Moderate |

### Position vs Performance
| Position Tier | Avg CTR | Avg Conv Rate |
|---------------|---------|---------------|
| Abs Top (>50%) | [X]% | [Y]% |
| Top (20-50%) | [X]% | [Y]% |
| Lower (<20%) | [X]% | [Y]% |

### Issues Requiring Attention
- **[Campaign]**: Top IS only [X]%, below target → Increase bids
- **Brand Campaign**: Abs Top IS dropped to [X]% → Investigate competition

### Recommendations
1. Increase bids on [campaigns] to improve top position
2. Improve QS to achieve top position more efficiently