Absolute top impression share
also called Abs top IS
Definition
The share of available auction impressions where your ad occupied the very first ad slot.
How it's calculated
The average of Google Ads' own per-row search absolute top impression share across the rows in scope.
Scope, grain and dimensions
- Grain
- One number per segment and date range, or one row per keyword or campaign.
- Dimensions
- keyword · campaign_name
- Required filters
- segment_id · date_range
- Aggregation
- An unweighted average across keyword-day rows.
- Metric type
- share · share of available auction impressions (stored 0 to 1, shown as a percent)
Data sources
Where you'll see this
Named reports that normally include this metric.
Paid search performance report
Skills and analyses that use it
Skills carry the judgment; the analysis verbs do the reading.
Skills
Analysis verbs
paid_impression_share
Method rungs and levers
A rung tells you what a movement here can and cannot explain, read the rungs below it first.
levers L8 Paid/organic interplay
Ask Quattr
- "How often are we in the first ad slot?" Simulate this →
How to read it
The narrowest and most competitive slice of auction coverage. Movement here responds to bid and ad-rank changes faster than the overall share does.
Caveats, freshness and failure modes
Always per segment; called without one the verb returns the segment list.
Unweighted average across rows.
Stored as a fraction between 0 and 1.
- Freshness
- ~1 day behind, Ads reporting settles overnight; same-day spend is provisional.
Common failure modes
- Comparing absolute top share to top share as if the difference were a loss reason, the reason columns are the rank-lost measures.
Not the same as
The confusions that cause the most wrong decisions.
Absolute top impression share Top impression share Compare definitions →
Absolute top is the first ad slot only; top is anywhere above the organic results.
Absolute top impression share Absolute top impression share lost to rank Compare definitions →
Absolute top impression share is the first-slot placement you won; the rank-lost measure is the first-slot placement you lost on rank. Separate averaged columns, not complements.
Related metrics and workflows
Verification
A definition is the smallest part of this.
The measurement matters because something acts on it. Here is the rest of the showcase, in the order most people find useful.