# An AI Overview tracker for your Google keywords. Cited or not.

URL: https://serpel.app/features/ai-overview-tracking

Updated: 2026-10-10

An AI Overview tracker shows for which searches Google displays an AI Overview and whether it links to your website. Serpel records this with every rank check of a tracked keyword and with every AI visibility check of a prompt, so you see changes over time. AI Overview tracking is on by default and is included in the price of a keyword rank check.

## What AI Overview tracking records

- **Appears or not:** Every check records whether Google showed an AI Overview for the search, so a missing Overview is data and not a gap.
- **Cited or not:** Serpel records whether the Overview links a page of your domain and lists the sources it shows.
- **Change over time:** Reports show new and lost citations from run to run, next to your position changes.

## What is an AI Overview tracker?

An AI Overview is the AI-generated summary that Google can show for a search, with links to the sources it used. An AI Overview tracker watches a fixed set of searches and records, over time, whether an Overview appears and whether your website is one of its sources.

Not every search triggers an Overview, so “no AI Overview” is a normal result. Serpel stores it as a result, which lets you tell a missing Overview apart from a check that has not run yet.

## How does Serpel track AI Overviews?

Serpel tracks AI Overviews in two places: on the keywords you rank-track and on the prompts you track for AI visibility.

| Aspect | Tracked keywords | AI visibility prompts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| When it runs | With every rank check of a keyword | With every AI visibility check of a prompt |
| What is searched | The keyword, in its own country, language, device and location | The question, in its own market and on your project’s device |
| What is recorded | Whether an Overview appears, whether it links your domain, and its sources | The same, plus whether your name or domain is mentioned and an answer excerpt |
| Cost | Included in the rank-check price | 2 credits per prompt (€0.02) |

## What does the AI Overview column tell you?

| Status | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Cited | Google showed an AI Overview and it links to a page on your domain. |
| Not cited | There was an AI Overview, but it doesn’t link to your domain. |
| No AI Overview | Google showed none for this search. |
| No data | The keyword has not been checked yet, the check failed or tracking is switched off. |

The status sits next to the position in the rankings table and in `serpel rankings list`. `serpel rankings history` shows the Overview status of every check next to the position.

## How do you switch AI Overview tracking on or off?

The switch is a project setting called “Also check Google AI Overview”. It’s on for new projects. Turn it off in the project settings, with `serpel projects update <project-id> --ai-overview off`, or through the API with `PATCH /api/v1/projects/{id}` and the field `aiOverviewTracking`.

A keyword check up to the top 50 costs 2 credits when it runs on a schedule and 5 credits when you start it by hand, with or without the AI Overview. Only prompt checks add a separate charge. See [keyword rank tracking](https://serpel.app/features/rank-tracking) for the full price list.

## How do you read AI Overview data in reports and the API?

- **Reports:** every monitoring report counts citations in AI Overviews next to ranking changes and ChatGPT citations.
- **Rankings API:** each check carries an `aiOverview` object with `present`, `cited`, `url` and `sources`. Read it with `GET /api/v1/projects/{id}/rankings`.
- **AI visibility API:** `GET /api/v1/projects/{id}/ai-visibility` summarises Overviews per keyword and per prompt. See the [rank tracking API](https://serpel.app/developers/rank-tracking-api).

## AI Overview tracker or AI visibility tool?

Use AI Overview tracking to watch searches you already rank for. Use [AI visibility tracking](https://serpel.app/features/ai-visibility) to watch the questions your customers ask across ChatGPT and Google. Both run inside the same project and share one monitoring schedule.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Google show an AI Overview for every search?

No. Many searches have none. Serpel records “no AI Overview” as a result, so you can tell a missing Overview apart from a check that has not run yet or one that failed.

### Does AI Overview tracking cost extra credits?

For tracked keywords it doesn’t: it’s included in the rank-check price. For AI visibility prompts, the Google AI Overview check adds 2 credits per prompt on top of the ChatGPT check.

### What counts as a citation in an AI Overview?

An Overview cites you when it links to a page on your domain. For prompts, Serpel also records a mention when your name or domain appears in the text without a link.

### Can I track AI Overviews on mobile?

Yes. Keyword checks use each keyword’s own device, so track the same keyword on desktop and mobile to compare them. Prompt checks use the device set in the project.