# Search Console 'block flattening' masks AI Overview link rank

Published: 2026-09-24T12:03:52.302Z · Source: Search Engine Journal (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/search-console-uses-block-flattening-for-aios-forget-position-focus-on-outcomes/589582/)
Source date: 2026-09-24
Entities: search-console, ai-overviews, google

Google Search Advocate John Mueller said on Reddit that Search Console does not report where an individual link sits inside an AI Overview — it scores the entire overview box as a single block and assigns every link inside it the same position, typically position 1. Per Search Engine Journal, that means a link shown prominently and one hidden behind a "Show More" toggle can both report as position 1, and site owners should weigh actual clicks and conversions over the position figure for AI Overview traffic.

Why it matters: Search Console's position number has been the basis for outside studies of AI Overview visibility and click-through loss this year, so a confirmed measurement gap in that same number is a caveat on that whole body of analysis, not just an individual site's reporting.

## What this answers

**Why does Search Console show position 1 for a link that isn't getting AI Overview traffic?**

Search Console treats an entire AI Overview as one ranking block rather than scoring each link inside it separately, so every link in the box — whether shown prominently or buried under a 'Show More' toggle — is recorded at the same position, per Google's John Mueller.


Canonical: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-24-search-console-block-flattening-masks-ai-overview-link-rank/
From Anything Engine Optimization (AEO Wire) — https://anythingengineoptimization.com/ · Standards: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/standards/