> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faii.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How SERP Tracking Works

> Understand how FAII monitors your search engine rankings, AI Overviews, and SERP features using real browser sessions.

<Info>
  **Quick Answer:** FAII uses real browser sessions (not API scraping) with geographic targeting to capture exactly what your customers see in Google search results - including organic rankings, AI Overviews, featured snippets, and more.
</Info>

## What You'll Learn

* What FAII tracks on search engine results pages
* How real browser monitoring works and why it matters
* What SERP features are detected
* How geographic and device targeting works

## What We Track

FAII captures the complete search results page for each of your keywords:

| Element               | What It Is                      | Why It Matters                                           |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Organic Rankings**  | Positions 1-30                  | Your core search visibility                              |
| **AI Overviews**      | Google's AI-generated summaries | The future of search - increasingly what users see first |
| **Featured Snippets** | Answer box at position 0        | Highest visibility in traditional results                |
| **People Also Ask**   | Expandable Q\&A boxes           | Additional keyword visibility                            |
| **Local Pack**        | Map + 3 local listings          | Essential for local businesses                           |
| **Knowledge Panel**   | Brand info sidebar              | Authority signal                                         |
| **Image Carousel**    | Visual search results           | Multi-format presence                                    |
| **Video Results**     | YouTube/video cards             | Video content visibility                                 |

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Real browser sessions">
    FAII launches actual browser instances (not API calls) to search Google. This matters because Google shows different results to:

    * API scrapers (simplified, often incomplete)
    * Real browsers (full experience including AI Overviews)

    You see what your customers see.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Geographic targeting">
    Searches are executed from the geographic location you've configured:

    * **Country-level targeting** - Search from 250+ countries
    * **City-level targeting** - Available for major cities
    * **Language settings** - Match your target audience's language

    Results reflect what a real user in that location would see.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Device simulation">
    Each search runs on both:

    * **Desktop** - Full desktop search experience
    * **Mobile** - Mobile-specific results and layout

    Results often differ significantly between devices, especially for local searches.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete SERP capture">
    The entire results page is captured and analyzed:

    * Every organic listing (position, title, URL, description)
    * AI Overview content (full text, cited sources)
    * All SERP features present
    * Competitor positions for the same keyword
  </Step>

  <Step title="Data extraction and analysis">
    Raw SERP data is processed into:

    * Position tracking (your rank for each keyword)
    * SERP feature detection (which features you control)
    * AI Overview citation analysis (are you cited?)
    * Competitor comparison (their positions vs. yours)
    * Trend data (how positions change over time)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why Real Browsers Matter

<Warning>
  Most rank tracking tools use API-based scraping, which misses AI Overviews entirely and often returns simplified results. FAII uses real browser profiles to capture the complete picture.
</Warning>

| Approach                | Organic Rankings | AI Overviews | SERP Features | Accuracy |
| ----------------------- | :--------------: | :----------: | :-----------: | :------: |
| API scraping            |      Partial     |    Missing   |    Partial    |    Low   |
| Headless browser        |        Yes       |   Sometimes  |      Yes      |  Medium  |
| **FAII (real browser)** |      **Yes**     |    **Yes**   |    **Yes**    | **High** |

## Key Metrics

### Position Tracking

Your ranking (1-30) for each keyword, tracked over time:

* **Current position** - Where you rank right now
* **Best position** - Your highest-ever rank for this keyword
* **Position change** - Movement since last session
* **Position history** - Trend chart over all sessions

### SERP Features Owned

Which rich results you control:

* Featured snippet wins
* People Also Ask appearances
* Knowledge panel presence
* Image/video carousel appearances
* Local pack listings

### Visibility Score

An aggregate metric combining:

* Number of keywords in top 10
* Weighted by position (1st > 5th > 10th)
* SERP feature ownership bonus
* Trend direction

## Geographic Targeting

### Country-level

Search results vary significantly by country. A brand ranking #1 in the US may not rank at all in the UK. FAII targets the specific country where your customers search.

### City-level

For local businesses, city-level targeting shows:

* Local pack results specific to that city
* Location-influenced organic rankings
* City-specific AI Overviews

### Multi-location tracking

Enterprise plans can track the same keywords across multiple locations simultaneously, showing how visibility varies geographically.

## Device Types

### Desktop vs. Mobile differences

| Aspect            | Desktop     | Mobile         |
| ----------------- | ----------- | -------------- |
| Results count     | 10 per page | 8-10 per page  |
| AI Overviews      | More common | Less common    |
| Local pack        | Sometimes   | More frequent  |
| Featured snippets | Standard    | Often expanded |
| Layout            | Side panels | Stacked        |

<Tip>
  If your audience is primarily mobile (most B2C), prioritize mobile rankings. If primarily desktop (most B2B research), focus there. FAII tracks both so you don't have to choose.
</Tip>

## On the Dashboard

The SERP Intelligence dashboard shows:

* **Keywords tracked summary** - Total tracked, in top 3, top 10, top 30
* **Position tracking timeline** - Visual position changes over time
* **SERP features matrix** - Which features you own per keyword
* **AI Overview coverage** - % of keywords triggering AI Overviews
* **Keyword performance table** - Sortable, filterable list of all keywords
* **Competitor positions** - Side-by-side ranking comparison

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How often does FAII check rankings?">
    Rankings are checked with each monitoring session based on your campaign frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly). You can also trigger manual checks by clicking "Run Now."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why do my rankings differ from other tools?">
    Different tools use different methods, locations, and timing. FAII uses real browser sessions from your configured location, which is the most accurate reflection of what your customers see. API-based tools often show slightly different results.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I track rankings in multiple countries?">
    Yes. Create separate campaigns for each country/market, or use Enterprise multi-location tracking within a single campaign.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if my keyword has no rankings?">
    If you don't rank in positions 1-30 for a keyword, it shows as "Not ranked." This doesn't mean you don't exist in Google - just that you're below position 30 for that specific keyword in that specific location.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related Articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI Overview Monitoring" icon="sparkles" href="/docs/serp-intelligence/ai-overview-monitoring">
    Track your presence in Google's AI summaries
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Authority Rank" icon="chart-line" href="/docs/ai-authority-rank/what-is-ai-authority-rank">
    How SERP data feeds into your master score
  </Card>
</CardGroup>