{
  "slug": "absolute-top-impression-share",
  "name": "Absolute top impression share",
  "aliases": [
    "Abs top IS"
  ],
  "definition": "The share of available auction impressions where your ad occupied the very first ad slot.",
  "category": "Paid search",
  "type": "share",
  "unit": "share of available auction impressions (stored 0 to 1, shown as a percent)",
  "direction": "higher-better",
  "verification": "verified",
  "calculation": "The average of Google Ads' own per-row search absolute top impression share across the rows in scope.",
  "aggregation": "An unweighted average across keyword-day rows.",
  "grain": "One number per segment and date range, or one row per keyword or campaign.",
  "dimensions": [
    "keyword",
    "campaign_name"
  ],
  "requiredFilters": [
    "segment_id",
    "date_range"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "google-ads"
  ],
  "reports": [
    "paid-search-performance-report"
  ],
  "skills": [
    "paid-efficiency-review"
  ],
  "verbs": [
    "paid_impression_share"
  ],
  "rungs": [
    "R2"
  ],
  "levers": [
    "L8"
  ],
  "questions": [
    "How often are we in the first ad slot?"
  ],
  "interpretation": "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": [
    "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.",
  "failureModes": [
    "Comparing absolute top share to top share as if the difference were a loss reason, the reason columns are the rank-lost measures."
  ],
  "notSameAs": [
    {
      "slug": "top-impression-share",
      "why": "Absolute top is the first ad slot only; top is anywhere above the organic results."
    },
    {
      "slug": "absolute-top-impression-share-lost-to-rank",
      "why": "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.",
      "mirroredFrom": "absolute-top-impression-share-lost-to-rank"
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "search-impression-share",
    "top-impression-share",
    "absolute-top-impression-share-lost-to-rank"
  ],
  "workflows": [],
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-04"
}