New AI Overview Keyword monitoring and SERP tracking features have arrived
In a significant advancement for SEO professionals worldwide, Authoritas has launched comprehensive AI Overview (AIO) tracking capabilities that go far beyond simple detection. Whilst other SEO platforms merely indicate the presence of AIOs, our new tracking features provide deep insights into how these AI-powered SERP features impact your organic visibility and rankings revealing which competing sites and pages are ranking and opportunities and threats to your SEO visibility.
Why AI Overview Tracking Matters Now
As Google rolls out AI Overviews internationally, these AI-generated summaries are dramatically reshaping the search landscape. Appearing at the top of search results (usually, but not always, just below ads when present), AIOs are fundamentally changing how users interact with search results and, consequently, how we need to approach SEO.
AIOs are live for all Google users in the US and they’ve started to appear in more and more markets worldwide where English is commonly spoken.
They are going to come to all major markets and languages and they are going to relegate your organic rankings that you have fought so hard to win.
But the good news is that there are opportunities to rank where before you might have struggled (every cloud has a silver lining huh!), but for heaven’s sake please don’t take a wait and see approach. You can get yourself, your team and your organisation ready for AIOs now.
And if you’re in the United States or targeting US users and are reading this now, then time is of the essence!
Understanding the AIO Landscape
Before diving into our tracking capabilities, it's crucial to understand what we're measuring. AI Overviews represent the most significant change to Google's SERPs in recent years:
- They appear above traditional organic results
- They combine AI-generated summaries with cited sources
- They expand to reveal additional content and sources
- They vary in presentation across desktop and mobile
- They're rolling out globally in phases
- They are going to mess with your Google Search Console data as your pages ranking in AIOs will be recorded as position 1 if they are scrolled into view
What’s different about the Authoritas AIO Rank Tracker compared to Ahrefs, SEMrush, GetStat and other SEO tools?
Even though more famous SEO platforms like SEMrush, Ahrefs and others have announced AI Overview tracking, they are treating it as little more than another SERP feature to report on when it is so much more than that.
Some, are not even recording the ranking pages that are visible when the page first loads or recording your AIO rankings with ranking positions!
As far as I know, we are the only mainstream SEO platform that goes beyond all of this and clicks on the ‘Show More’ and ‘Show All’ links to fully expand the AI Overview for every keyword where one is displayed to capture everything you need to know.
Is your keyword ranking tool promising you AI Overview tracking but only capturing the initial page load thus missing all ranking pages for you and your competitors?
Some SEOTools like SEMrush are just showing you the AIO SERP feature exists
SEMrush screenshot and Ahrefs now also have AI Overview feature detection – but this is not the same as detailed AI Overview expansion and capture.
With Authoritas’ new AI Overview rank tracker we click like a user does to fully expand the AI Overview and capture the entire AIO, the text snippet and all the ranking pages and citations.
Detailed AIO ranking reports in Authoritas
And we are now also capturing and storing the actual SERP screenshot.
Our new SERPs Comparison module now makes it easy for you to compare the SERP screenshot or a tabular list of search results from one day to the next (more on this below).
With Authoritas you can also capture the exact SERP screenshot
Setting the New Standard in AI Overview Tracking
Our platform has always excelled at tracking the most important SERP features (~50 and counting by now), but with AIOs, we've raised the bar significantly. Here's what sets our AIO tracking apart.
Types of AIO Presentations We Track
1. Initial AIO View on First Page Load
If you setup a ranking configuration and do not enable ‘Capture AI Overviews’ then we will capture the top 100 results from the SERP, but we will not click on the AIO ‘Show More’ link and will just return the initial first page that loads after the user enters their query.
AIOs will usually show a condensed summary with 1-2 visible sources which are ranking on the right rail on desktop or in the carousel under the AIOs on mobile.
2. Fully Expanded View
Authoritas platform users (ongoing paid subscribers only) now have the option to ‘AIO enable’ their ranking configs.
To do this, simply go to Settings > Ranking Configurations and either create a new ranking configuration (recommended) or edit an existing one (not recommended at this stage). For more instructions on how to do this read our help article on how to configure AIO Keyword Rank Settings.
Once this is activated, then every time we do a rank check and we spot an AIO, we will click one or more times to expand the AIO and capture:
- The full AI-generated text snippet
- All ranking pages in order
- All pages cited in the AIO snippet in order
- All ranking pages scrollable in the carousel on mobile devices
Here you can see the difference in the SERPs once you expand an AI Overview and how much more content you can and need to capture and analyse.
Compare SERP screenshots so you can see what impact a user clicking on the AIO to expand it has
How do you record rankings for AI Overviews?
Universal Ranking Positions
With a ‘TRUE’ ranking configuration, we have traditionally counted all SERP features where it’s possible for a site to rank organically (i.e. So we ignore paid features and any features which only return internal Google URLs).
So, if you ranked for a Video at the top of the SERPs above all other non-paid SERP features, then you would be given a Universal Rank 1 and the top organic ranking would be given a Universal Rank of 2.
If an AI Overview now appears above the Video and above the Organic, then we include the visible AIO ranking pages in the Universal Rank calculations.
If a user clicks to expand the AIO and more ranking pages scroll into view then these would also be considered and your organic ranking would be demoted accordingly.
This is why at this stage of AIO rollouts we’re recommending you track your ranking configurations with and without AIO enabled so you can see both scenarios.
We also record rankings by SERP feature, so if you use our Big Query integration then we can breakout rankings by SERP Feature, so you can see where you rank from 1 upwards for each discrete SERP feature.
When calculating AIO Rankings we take the following approach:
On desktop: we start with the right hand rail and then capture the citations in the AIO snippet.
On mobile: we start with the unique list of pages behind the Favicons that overlay the screen when clicked (they are the equivalent of the right-hand rail on desktop), then the pages that are cited in the AIO snippet, then the carousel of ranking pages that are scrollable under the AIO snippet.
Google is likely to continue to explore, test and introduce new SERP layouts and features, so we feel this is the fairest and most sensible way of tracking rankings in a generative AI world.
Let's examine how AIOs affect your rankings through a real-world scenario:
- AIO Expands: Falls to 11th (after 8 more sources)
Why This Matters:
- Visibility changes dramatically
- Click-through rates may shift
- User behaviour patterns alter
- Competition increases significantly
Comprehensive AIO Tracking Capabilities
Our platform goes far beyond basic AIO detection.
1. Complete AIO Expansion
What Others Show You:
- Basic AIO presence detection
- Initially visible sources only
- Limited ranking impact data
What Authoritas Delivers:
- Full expansion of all AIO content
- Every ranking page captured
- Complete visibility analysis (via Looker Studio – and new platform dashboards are coming very soon!)
- Storage of AIO text for optimisation insights (coming soon)
- Temporal tracking of changes (you can use the new SERP comparison module to see how the SERP evolves over time)
2. SERPs Comparison – a side-by-side SERPs comparison
Our new SERP comparison feature provides unprecedented insight into AIO impact:
Visual Comparisons
- Side-by-side SERP views – e.g. This allows you to compare SERP screenshots for the same keyword one week apart so you can see how the SERP has changed.
Easily compare 2 SERPs
- Monitor ranking fluctuations & historical changes over time. e.g. This shows a tabular view of the SERPs for the same keyword one week apart so you can see how your ranking has changed.
Easily compare ranking data for the same keyword on two different dates
- Before/after AIO expansion
Compare what happens when a user clicks to expand an AIO
- Mobile vs desktop presentations
Easily see any differences in ranking between devices
Data Analysis
- Ranking position shifts
- Visibility changes – what’s above and below the fold
- Competitor movements – Highlight competitors
Click a button to highlight all the competitors you care about
Your domain is always highlighted in light green and other competing domains you have added to the project will be highlighted in different colours if they rank.
Export Capabilities
- Screenshot comparisons
- Tabular data exports
- Custom report generation – see example SERP output on Google Drive.
3. Advanced Data Access
Access your AIO data through multiple channels:
Platform Exports
- Detailed CSV reports
- Custom data selections
- Historical comparisons
I’ve uploaded a couple of example reports so you can see the kind of detailed exports you can get out of the platform.
Compare performance versus competitors in AI Overviews
- Real-time updates
- Shareable reports
4. Historical Data Management
Our platform provides:
- 120 days of ranking history
- Full screenshot archives
- Tabular data storage
Coming soon:
- Extended history to 1 year
- AIO and SERP Volatility metrics
- Advanced AIO Visualisation and dashboarding tools in the platform
Advanced AIO Tracking Elements
We don’t just tell you there’s an AIO for your keyword. We tell you the type of AIO (listings, citation or carousel) and its position (left, right or overlaid), we even capture its pixel position on the page.
Our system captures several crucial AIO components:
1. AIO Position & Types
Google is clearly going to continue experimenting with different AIO layouts and designs and as a consequence we need to track this important SERP feature at a granular level to have any chance of producing consistent ranking data and insights for your keywords. For this reason, we have gone to some lengths to try and understand where your page appears on the page (AIO position) and what type of AIO result for you are featuring for (AIO Type).
Authoritas has the most granular SERP feature detection for AIOs of any SEO tool
From the dropdown select ‘Any Rankings’ to show you all keywords that have any kind of AI Overview for you or your competitors on your project or ‘My Rankings’ just to filter to keywords where you are ranking for AIOs. Click the corresponding checkboxes to specify which types you are interested in – if you want to see them all just select the catch-all ‘AI Overviews – Any Type’.
AI Overview Type
There are three types of AIOs that we breakout.
Listings – these are the unique list of pages that have been selected to appear in the AIO. They appear on the right-hand rail on desktop and are hidden behind the Fav icon link on mobile and in the carousel.
Citations – Each of these unique list of pages is usually cited in the AIO Text Snippet when a user clicks on the icon. Some pages may be cited multiple times and in some instances some pages are not cited at all.
Carousel – these are the unique list of pages that have been selected to appear in the AIO on mobile devices. So far, they always appear below the AIO snippet.
AI Overview Position:
Ranking pages in AIOs can appear in three positions on the page.
Left (For the AIO Snippet Text Content, Citations and Carousels)
Right (Listings on desktop)
Overlaid (Listings on mobile)
I’ve included some screenshots (hopefully in a logical order) for both desktop and mobile devices so you can see how we track each type.
This is the initial ‘pre-click’ AI Overview. The pages ranking in the AIO are listed on the right-hand side of the page (“Listings”), but only 2 are visible on initial page load.
If you have created an ‘AIO enabled’ ranking configuration then we will click on the ‘Show more’ link to expand the AIO snippet.
SERP Screenshot showing an unexpanded AI Overview
Now we can see the fully expanded AIO snippet with the full text and icons linking to the specific pages cited for each paragraph (“Citations”).
SERP Screenshot showing a fully expanded AI Overview
We can now click on the new ‘Show all’ link that appears to capture all the “Listings” on the right-hand side. We mark each one as ‘Visible’ or ‘Hidden’ which will be helpful for later in understanding whether your rankings in AIOs are actually likely to be seen by real users or not.
Authoritas tracks all right-hand links in AI Overviews
We can then click on each icon that appears for each paragraph of the AIO Text Answer. This allows us to capture which pages are referenced by Google’s custom version of its Gemini LLM for each paragraph. This will be useful for us in the future as we build AIO optimisation tools.
Authoritas can click on each icon to capture every page that is cited for a paragraph
The mobile design is a little different to desktop, but we have tried to follow the same logic when crawling the mobile search engine results page.
This is what the AIO looks like on initial page load before a user clicks.
Mobile AIO screenshot on initial page load (unexpanded)
We click on the Fav icons at the top to get the ordered list of all ranking pages for this AIO. This is usually identical to the list on desktop – although on occasions we have seen pages disappear from the mobile view. (This could be a Google bug or it could be related to mobile UI/UX issues).
Mobile AIO SERP showing the top Fav icons
Clicking on the Favicon helps us capture the “Listings” which appear in an “Overlaid” position on the mobile SERP.
Clicking the Fav icons generates a list of ranking sites in the AIO on mobile
We also click on the AIO Snippet icons to capture each page that is cited in relation to each paragraph (“Citations”).
Clicking the link icon shows you the page that is cited for this paragraph
Finally, we capture the mobile carousel pages (“Carousel”). So far this is an ordered list of pages that are identical to the “Listings” behind the Fav icons and this carousel only appears on mobile.
[xxx mobile-carousel.png]
Google mobile SERP screenshot with a carousel of AIO ranking pages
2. AIO Content
We capture and store the whole AIO snippet and separate out and reference each paragraph with the pages that are cited.
This is not currently displayed in the platform but we are going to introduce this and use this data in our forthcoming AIO optimisation module.
We will also capture AIO Adverts as they start to appear in larger volumes.
3. Interaction States
We can tell you whether a ranking page was ‘Visible’ or ‘Hidden’; i.e. Whether it was visible on the first page load or hidden until the user clicked and scrolled it into view.
Practical Implementation Guide
Understanding Ranking Configuration Options
The key to successful AIO tracking lies in proper configuration setup. Let's explore your options and why they matter:
Three Essential Configuration Types
Configuring custom search engine ranking configurations is a prerequisite to getting the most accurate ranking and SERP data
1. PURE Configuration
Perfect for traditional SEO tracking:
- Focuses on "10 blue links" and featured snippets
- Provides clean organic ranking data
- Excludes all AIO and universal results
- Mostly used for historical trending of organic rankings
Use when: You need to track traditional organic rankings separately.
2. TRUE Configuration
Our comprehensive tracking option:
- Captures all universal SERP features
- Includes AIOs, knowledge panels, image packs, videos, Local etc.
- Required foundation for AIO tracking
- Provides complete SERP visibility
Use when: You need full SERP feature tracking and want the most accurate view of the SERP before a user interacts on the SERP page and in conjunction with “TRUE with Capture AI Overviews” below.
3. TRUE with Capture AI Overviews
Our most advanced configuration:
- Expands all AIO content automatically by clicking links and buttons like a user
- Scrolls content into view like a user
- Captures hidden ranking opportunities
- Reveals complete competitive landscape
Use when: You need complete SERP & AIO insights.
Setting up a rank config to click and expand AI Overviews is a breeze
Configuration Best Practice
Proper configuration is crucial for clean data and clear reporting. Here's your step-by-step guide:
Our aim is to give you the AIO data and tools you can leverage to rank well in AIOs.
We believe you can use some of these early insights already in the following areas:
1. Content Optimisation
Use AIO insights to:
- Identify high-performing content types
- Understand citation patterns
- Copy what’s working well to create your own AIO-friendly content
2. Competitive Analysis
Track and analyse:
- Competitor AIO presence and new competing sites that are performing well in AIOs (YouTube will almost certainly be one)
- Citation patterns (are sites with greater authority or sites with better content getting more citations when they rank in AIOs?)
- Ranking stability – how stable are the organic and AIO rankings over time (we’re working on new volatility metrics for this too).
3. Performance Monitoring
If you track enough keywords and mash-up SERP data with GSC data then you could start to build a picture of how significant an impact AIOs are already having on your site. If AIOs haven’t rolled out in your market yet, then having early access to this SERP data at scale could help you get ahead of the crowd. Here’s some things to consider monitoring:
- Organic and AIO Ranking changes
- The types of keywords by user intent where Google shows AIOs
- Visibility trends – are rankings improving and does this align with GA4 or GSC data?
4. Finding Threats and Opportunities
Threats to your current organic traffic from AIOs:
- High performing organic keywords where there is now an AIO and you are ranking but not visible on first page load
- High performing organic keywords where there is now an AIO and you are not ranking at all
Opportunities to grow your current organic traffic from AIOs:
- Keywords where there is now an AIO and you are ranking but not visible on the first page load
- Keywords (by search volume) where there is now an AIO and you are not ranking in AIOs but you are ranking in Organic and there is a strong alignment (Authoritas GOA Score™) between the top AIO and top organic ranking pages which means you can rank in AIOs with your current organic ranking page
Pro Tips for Maximum Impact
We’ll expand on this advice as we get more real-world data and conduct further research studies. But for now; here’s a quick check-list of sensible things you can be doing:
1. Keyword Strategy Enhancement
Focus on:
- FAQ-style queries (we can help you research ALL the FAQs in your market)
- Informational and research intent – watch your branded keywords too though in case 3rd parties start appearing!
- Long-tail opportunities
- Query reformulation – think beyond the seed keyword. You can use an LLM to analyse the URL fragments of the ranking pages in AIOs to see the sub-topics Google is returning results for in AIOs
2. Content Development
Create content that:
- Answers user questions comprehensively
- Provides authoritative information
- Includes relevant citations
- Is updated regularly
- Offers a unique perspective from other pages on the same SERP
- Use Query reformulation to understand all the angles your content should cover
The latter is important as Google’s SGE patent talks about how it seeks additional context (query reformulation) when there is a lack of diversity or quality in the organic results for the original keyword.
3. Technical Optimisation
Ensure you have:
- Clean page structure
- Clear content hierarchy
- Proper schema markup
- A mobile optimised site with good UX
4. Stakeholder Management
With the impending global rollout of AIOs, it's critical that you make all key stakeholders in your business aware of the potential threats and opportunities.
Communication strategies:
- Explain likely ranking changes now and in the future due to the introduction of AI and LLMs by search engines
- Demonstrate AIO impact - show where your organic rankings have taken a beating and where you are performing well in AIOs
- Share visual comparisons - illustrate your points
- Present actionable insights - high search volume keywords where you are ranking in AIOs but you are hidden and/or not in the top AIO ranking position
Now is the time to be taking action on AIOs
Here's some immediate steps you can take:
1. Assessment
- Review current rankings
- Identify AIO opportunities
- Analyse competitor presence
- Evaluate content readiness
2. Configuration
- Set up TRUE configs with AIO tracking
- Mirror existing configurations
- Enable comprehensive monitoring before and after a user click
3. Strategy Development
- Create AIO content plan
- Define optimisation priorities
- Set performance benchmarks
- Establish monitoring schedule
- Measure success metrics
3. Stakeholder Communication
- Inform them now about the significance of these SERP changes
Want to get started with AIO Rank Tracking?
Ready to unlock the full potential of AIO tracking? Here's how to begin:
If you are new to Authoritas then please book a meeting and let’s get to know each other.
If you are an existing customer on a freemium or grandfathered LTD then you will be able to see AIO as a SERP feature, but you need to upgrade to a basic monthly or annual package to enable AIO Ranking configurations.
If you are an existing paying subscriber then you can get started today or schedule a training session by contacting us in-app.
In today's rapidly evolving search landscape, understanding SERP changes across different dimensions is crucial for SEO success. Authoritas' new SERP Comparison module offers unprecedented insight into how search results evolve across time, location, devices, and AI Overview expansions.
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MANY of us have seen SEO click through rate (CTR) studies, performed on large data sets, but what can we learn from these, and, more to the point, are they truly representative? Given the ever changing nature of the SERPs – are click-through rate (CTR) studies too crude and limited in their scope to cater for the multi-faceted nature of a typical SERP? And in fact is there even such a thing as a typical SERP anymore?
