Average Position

Learn how Average Position measures where you appear when AI lists multiple options. Understand why position matters, how it’s calculated, and strategies to improve your ranking.

Average Position tells you where you appear when AI lists multiple options. When someone asks “What’s the best CRM?” and AI lists 5 brands, are you mentioned first or fifth? Position determines who gets chosen.

Understanding Position

When users ask AI platforms for recommendations, the AI typically lists multiple options in order of preference. Your position is where you appear in that list.

User: "What CRM should I use for my agency?"

AI: "Here are some great options for agencies:

1. **HubSpot** — Great for marketing-focused agencies...     ← Position 1
2. **Pipedrive** — Excellent for sales pipelines...          ← Position 2
3. **Zoho** — Good budget option...                          ← Position 3
4. **Monday** — More of a project tool but works...          ← Position 4"

If you’re Zoho in this example, your position is 3. If this happens consistently across many prompts, your average position is around 3.

This is fundamentally different from traditional search:

Traditional Search	AI Recommendations
10 blue links, users choose	AI presents an ordered list with opinions
Users scan multiple results	Users often trust AI’s top pick
Position 5 still gets clicks	Position 4+ is often ignored
Rankings change with algorithms	Positions reflect AI’s synthesized view

Why Position matters

Users treat AI’s ordering as a recommendation. Position 1 isn’t just listed first — it’s presented as the best option. The AI often explains why it’s recommending each option in the order it chose.

The attention distribution is stark:

Position	User consideration rate	What this means
1st mentioned	~45% primarily consider	Nearly half of users focus on the first option
2nd mentioned	~25% consider	A quarter look at the second choice
3rd mentioned	~15% consider	Significant drop-off begins
4th+ mentioned	~15% combined	Everything after 3rd shares the remaining attention

If your average position is 4.2, you’re competing for just 15% of user attention with every other brand mentioned after you. Meanwhile, your Position 1 competitor captures 45%.

The math is brutal: Moving from Position 4 to Position 1 can triple your consideration rate.

How Average Position is calculated

Average Position is calculated across all responses where multiple brands are mentioned:

Average Position = Sum of all your positions / Number of multi-brand responses

Example:
- Prompt 1: You're Position 2
- Prompt 2: You're Position 1
- Prompt 3: You're Position 4
- Prompt 4: You're Position 2

Average Position = (2 + 1 + 4 + 2) / 4 = 2.25

Position is only calculated when multiple brands appear in the same response. If AI mentions only your brand, there’s no competitive ranking to measure — that’s tracked under Share of Voice instead.

Interpreting your Average Position

Average Position	What it means	Typical situation
1.0 - 1.5	Market leader	AI consistently recommends you first. You’re the default choice.
1.6 - 2.5	Strong contender	Often in top 2. Users see you as a leading option.
2.6 - 3.5	Mid-pack	You’re in the consideration set but rarely the first choice.
3.6 - 4.5	Lower priority	Usually mentioned as an alternative or “also consider.”
4.6+	Afterthought	Rarely positioned favorably. Often mentioned only for completeness.

Position distribution matters too

Average Position alone doesn’t tell the full story. Two brands can have the same 2.5 average but very different distributions:

Brand A (Average: 2.5)
├── Position 1: 40% of responses
├── Position 2: 20% of responses
├── Position 3: 10% of responses
└── Position 4+: 30% of responses

Brand B (Average: 2.5)
├── Position 1: 10% of responses
├── Position 2: 30% of responses
├── Position 3: 50% of responses
└── Position 4+: 10% of responses

Brand A wins big sometimes but also loses badly. Brand B is consistently mid-pack. Both average 2.5, but Brand A captures more of the high-value Position 1 spots.

Position by platform

Different AI platforms rank you differently based on their data sources and algorithms:

Platform	What influences position	Notes
ChatGPT	Market share, brand recognition, popularity signals	Tends to favor established, well-known brands
Claude	Nuanced analysis, reasoning quality	May surface lesser-known options if they fit the query well
Perplexity	Recent citations, authoritative sources	Position heavily influenced by what sources say
Gemini	Google Search rankings, SEO signals	Your Google position often carries over
Grok	Real-time X/Twitter data, social signals	Trending brands may get position boosts
Copilot	Bing rankings, enterprise signals, LinkedIn presence	Benefits from strong Bing SEO and Microsoft ecosystem presence
Google AI Mode	Google Search rankings, Knowledge Graph, structured data	Directly influenced by your Google search position
Google AI Overview	Google Search rankings, featured snippet eligibility	Position correlates with featured snippet and top search results

Track your position by platform separately. You might be Position 1 on Perplexity but Position 4 on ChatGPT — understanding these differences helps you prioritize improvements.

What influences your Position

Position is determined by how AI interprets your brand’s relevance and quality for a specific query. Key factors:

1. Query-product fit

The better your product matches the specific question, the higher you’ll rank. A specialized tool will rank Position 1 for targeted queries but lower for general ones.

Query: "Best CRM for real estate agents"
├── RealEstateCRM.com → Position 1 (perfect fit)
├── HubSpot → Position 2 (good general option)
└── Salesforce → Position 3 (powerful but overkill)

Query: "Best enterprise CRM"
├── Salesforce → Position 1 (perfect fit)
├── HubSpot → Position 2 (scales well)
└── RealEstateCRM.com → Not mentioned (too niche)

2. Third-party endorsements

When sources actively recommend you (not just mention you), AI positions you higher. “We recommend X” carries more weight than “X is an option.”

3. Recency and freshness

AI models may favor products with recent updates, news coverage, or fresh content. A stale web presence can gradually push you down.

4. Competitive comparison content

Content that directly compares you to competitors — especially if you come out ahead — influences position. AI reads “X vs Y” articles and incorporates those conclusions.

5. Negative signals

Bad reviews, unresolved complaints, or negative press push you down. AI aims to make helpful recommendations, so it deprioritizes brands with red flags.

Strategies to improve Position

Identify who’s blocking you

For prompts where you’re Position 3+, who consistently appears at Position 1-2? This is your blocking competitor.

Your position analysis:
├── "Best CRM for agencies" → You: Position 3, HubSpot: Position 1
├── "CRM for small teams" → You: Position 4, Pipedrive: Position 1
├── "Marketing CRM" → You: Position 2, HubSpot: Position 1
└── Pattern: HubSpot is your primary blocker

Understanding who blocks you tells you what AI values that you lack.

Win specific categories first

Instead of trying to improve overall position, dominate specific prompt categories:

Strategy	Target prompts	Example
Use case specialization	”Best [tool] for [specific use case]"	"Best CRM for recruiting agencies”
Audience targeting	”Best [tool] for [specific audience]"	"Best CRM for solopreneurs”
Feature leadership	”Best [tool] with [specific feature]"	"Best CRM with email automation”
Price positioning	”Affordable [tool]” or “Enterprise [tool]"	"Best free CRM”

It’s easier to become Position 1 in a subset of prompts than to improve from Position 4 to Position 2 across all prompts. Win where you can, then expand.

Improve your comparison content

Create content that positions you favorably against competitors:

• Direct comparison pages (“Acme vs HubSpot”)
• “Best for [use case]” guides where you win
• Feature comparison tables where you stand out
• Migration guides from competitors to you

AI reads this content and incorporates it into its rankings.

Address blocking competitor advantages

If a competitor consistently outranks you, understand why:

1. Check their citations — What sources mention them that don’t mention you?
2. Review their content — What claims do they make that you don’t?
3. Analyze their positioning — How do they describe themselves vs. how you do?
4. Identify gaps — What do they have that AI values that you lack?

Position changes over time

Position isn’t static. Track trends to understand if you’re gaining or losing ground:

Improving position signals:

• Your content strategy is working
• Competitors are becoming less relevant
• Your product improvements are being recognized
• Your brand authority is growing

Declining position signals:

• Competitors have improved their positioning
• Negative press or reviews are affecting you
• Your content is becoming stale
• Market preferences are shifting away from you

Next steps

Sentiment

How AI describes your brand

Share of Voice

How often you’re mentioned overall