If you’ve noticed shifts in your Google Ads performance lately—like changes in Top or Absolute Top Impression Rate or your Click-Through Rate (CTR)—you’re not imagining things.

Google is currently running an experiment that allows double serving of ads. Here’s what that means in plain terms:

What’s changing?

In the world of Google Ads, there are multiple auctions happening at once for different ad placements, like the top of the page and the bottom. Historically, an advertiser might win one of those positions. But now, Google is testing allowing the same advertiser to show ads in multiple positions (like both the top and bottom of a search results page).

This means a single advertiser could appear more than once on the same page—but in different spots.

Why this matters

According to Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, this experiment may cause a shift in reporting metrics, such as:

• Top Impression Rate

• Absolute Top Impression Rate

• Overall CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Even though the definition of an impression isn’t changing (it’s still counted each time your ad appears), this experiment could influence how your data looks—especially when it comes to performance metrics and impression share.

Is this new?

Technically, Google has been using separate auctions for different ad locations for years, but this experiment takes it further by letting advertisers show in multiple spots on the same page. That’s the key difference.

What advertisers should do

Keep an eye on your metrics. If you see unexpected dips or shifts in impression share or CTR, this experiment might be the reason. It’s also a good idea to avoid jumping to conclusions about campaign performance without considering this change.