Search Console Uses Block Flattening to Display AI Overviews, Shifting Focus From Position to Performance Metrics
Optimixed.com
Search Engine Journal
72
Analysis
TLDR
Search Console's block flattening feature makes AI Overview presence appear stronger than actual visibility, requiring practitioners to shift from position-based to outcome-based metrics.
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Google's Search Console employs block flattening when displaying AI Overviews, which can mask weak visibility within those results by presenting them in a way that looks more prominent than raw position data suggests. The implication is that relying on traditional ranking position metrics alone misrepresents search performance when AIOs are present, making visits and conversions the more reliable KPIs for assessing real impact.
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