How to Filter on Average Position in Looker Studio with Search Console Data

Filtering on Average Position in Looker Studio with Search Console data can be a bit tricky. If you've tried applying a standard filter to isolate queries or pages with a specific average position, you've likely noticed that it doesn't work as expected. But don’t worry — in this blog, we’ll explain why standard filters fail and show you the solution to this common issue. Let’s dive in!

Why Normal Filters Don’t Work for Average Position

The issue lies in the Average Position being an aggregated metric — it’s the average ranking of your website for a query or page, based on multiple impressions. When you apply a standard filter in Looker Studio, the filter works at the row level before the metric is aggregated. As a result, your filter doesn’t isolate the rows contributing to the desired Average Position; instead, it may include or exclude data incorrectly. This results in either the 'No data' or the 'Re-aggregating metrics is not supported' message.

The Solution: Blending

There's a simple trick that can we can use to filter on average position using data blending. By blending data, we are able to reaggregate metrics in Looker Studio. This handy feature helps you bypass the limitations of previously aggregated fields, which are automatically set to the AUTO field type. Since you can’t modify this field type or apply additional aggregation functions directly, blending offers an effective workaround.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Your Looker Studio Report: Access the report where your Search Console data is connected.
2. Create a Data Blend: Go to Resource > Manage Blends, and create a new blended data source
3. Set first Table: For Table 1, select the Search Console data source. Set 'Query' as the dimension and include any metric you want to display
4. Second table: Click on 'Join another table' and select the same Search Console data source we just used. Again, set 'Query' as the dimension. You don't have to set any metrics on the second table.
5. Configure join: Click on the 'Configure join' button between the two tables and make sure it is set it to 'Left outer' and the 'Query' dimension is used to join the tables. Click Save when you're done.
6. Apply a Filter: No we apply a filter on the first table to include certain positions. For this example, we will include the top positions. Click on 'Add a filter', set it to Include / Avarage postion / Less than (<) / 4. Give your filter a name and Save it.
7. Save your Blend: Give your Blend a name and save it.
8. Use the Blended Data in Your Report: Replace the original data source with the blended data source in your charts and tables.