How to do a SERP analysis with AI: a worked example

What a SERP analysis actually tells you

A SERP (search engine results page) analysis shows you the content format and intent Google currently rewards for a query. That tells you two things: which of your target queries are worth writing for, and which ones to drop – because what's already ranking shows you can't realistically compete.

Before you start: pick a keyword and set your question

Before getting started with your SERP ranking analysis, you will need to have a core target query in mind in order to assess the search results. For this guide, the query I will be using for the analysis will be "king size pillow" when searching from the United States.

The question that we will be looking to answer with this guide is: What content do I need to develop in order to be able to rank competitively for this query? We will be utilising a 6-step process in order to come to this conclusion with the use of AI, which will then allow you to create an SEO content brief.

Step 1: Classify the SERP intent

An integral part of running a SERP analysis is first understanding the searcher intent based on the types of results that are appearing on the first page of Google. Within the traditional search panel for Google within SERP Lens, we provide you with a breakdown of the search intent across all results that appear on the first page.

The search intent analysis tool allows you to understand what the breakdown in intent is across all search results on the page, whether it be Informational, Navigational, Commercial, or Transactional. You're then also provided with an overall intent for the page based on the greatest spread of search results, with it being a Commercial intent at 47% of all search results in this example.

This is an important first step when completing SERP analysis, as you will want to first outline the intent before going any further in your content planning efforts, considering you may be working toward improving an existing page or publishing a new page that may have a low likelihood of appearing due to the expectations for the results from the searcher.

Step 2: Audit the SERP features in play

The next step is understanding the SERP features at play within your analysis. Google's search results aren't the same 10-blue-links that they were years ago; they are now dominated by highly prominent SERP features that you now need to contend with for ranking in their search results.

Within the same analysis panel as the intent analysis in SERP Lens, you're then able to see the full breakdown across all SERP features on page 1 of Google. For the search term "king size pillow", there are 6 distinct SERP features that appear on the page: an AI Overview, Organic Shopping, Standard Organic Results, People Also Ask, Related Searches, and Sponsored products.

The ordering and counts beside each individual feature provide even greater insight into the representation of the features across the SERP. Appearing in order of category (organic or paid), we can see that the organic component of the SERP starts with an AI Overview at the very top and ends with Related Searches. There are 30 individual Organic Shopping results in between, alongside 8 standard organic listing slots, 4 questions showing within the People Also Ask unit, and 15 Sponsored products within a carousel.

Because we will be looking to rank in the traditional search result component of the SERP, it is primarily within the AI Overview (there is one of them), the Organic Shopping results (30 of them), and the standard organic listings (8 of them) where we could appear, providing 39 individual ranking opportunities in order for our site to appear.

Step 3: Identify who you're actually competing with

Across the entire SERP features analysis, it is important to understand the domains that are appearing most often on page 1. The most effective way of making this assessment is to use the 'Who owns page 1' section within the analysis panel, which gives a breakdown of domains appearing across all feature types and the px depth for where they are first listed.

For example, while bedbathnbeyond.com does not appear within the standard organic listings in the search results, they do appear prominently within the AI Overview at the very top of the page. Macy's is arguably the most dominant domain on the SERP, given they are appearing in position #4 in the standard organic listings, though they also appear within the sponsored products unit toward the top of the page. Users tend to gravitate toward the top standard organic listing, which tends to inherit the highest CTR, so thecompanystore.com would likely gain the most clicks of any result on the page.

Step 4: Summarise and assess the entire SERP composition

Once you've understood the searcher intent, the SERP features, and who owns page 1, the next step is to provide a summary of everything appearing on the page to gain an understanding of the SERP composition.

This is the first section that appears at the top of the SERP Lens analysis panel, providing details on the organic share percentage, which balances the organic results, features, and ads. In this instance, there are 67% organic results, features taking up 25% of the page, and ads taking up 8%.

The beauty of step 4 is that there is an AI button attached to this feature in SERP Lens, which allows you to analyze the SERP by selecting the 'Analyze this SERP' button to open the AI panel. Simply click the button after completing your search to skip directly to step 5.

Step 5: Use the SERP Analysis SEO Skill with AI

After you've clicked the 'Analyze this SERP' button within the analysis panel, the AI panel in SERP Lens then opens and puts the SERP Analysis SEO Skill into full effect. Here's what the results look like within the AI panel in SERP Lens, which appears in a matter of seconds, instead of doing your SERP ranking analysis manually, which takes much longer.

Here's what the full output looks like for the query, which you can use to make your final decision for how you will be approaching the content that will be created:

1This is a buy-now SERP, not an article SERP. Captured just now (1 Oct 2026, 07:44 UTC) on desktop, with the browser routed through a US (New York) VPN egress — results are US-market.
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3Organic mix (7 results captured): 5 retail category pages — The Company Store (1), Amazon (3), Mattress Firm (5), Kohl's (6), Macy's (7) — against 2 editorial roundups, Forbes Vetted (2) and Sleep Advisor (4). Commerce listings own the set; the only informational entries are "best of" buying guides, not explainers.
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5The three features that matter for a decision:
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730 immersive product units. This is the dominant commercial surface on the page and it pushes organic well down. Visibility here comes from product feed quality (Merchant Center, titles, pricing, reviews), not from on-page copy. If you sell king pillows, the feed is a higher-leverage lever than a new blog post.
8An AI Overview plus 4 related questions. Definitional demand ("what size is a king pillow", "king vs standard") is being answered in the SERP itself, so clicks on any purely informational page are contested above the first organic result. A sizing guide targeting this exact head term will likely earn impressions without clicks — better placed as supporting content linked from the category page.
9Local map and local results. Google reads a slice of this query as "where do I buy one near me." A national ecommerce page cannot win that block; a retailer with physical locations can, through Business Profile and local inventory.
10Also present: 12 "what people are saying" entries, pointing to real-user experience as a competing content type, and 8 related searches that are your cleanest sub-topic evidence if you want to expand coverage.
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12Implication: if the goal is to rank for this term, the target page type is a commercial category or collection page — the top result, The Company Store, is exactly that. A guide format here competes against Forbes and Sleep Advisor for the two editorial slots that exist, which is the harder path.
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14One caveat: this is a single capture at one moment from one market. It supports the intent reading but not a trend, a rank history, or competitor stability. The browser is still routed through the New York egress — say the word and I'll disconnect it, or check how the same query resolves in another market.
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What the SERP Analysis with AI is essentially telling me is that at this point in time, due to the Commercial intent within the New York region (the VPN location I'm using in SERP Lens), the page that should be developed should either be a category or a collection page, or it should be a guide format, but there is far less SERP real estate to capture on the page.

Step 6: Turn the analysis into a content decision

Once you have worked your way through each of the SERP analysis steps within this guide, it is now time to make a decision regarding the type of content that you will be developing. The most effective way of managing this process is to generate an SEO content brief to give your new content the best chance possible of ranking.

Based on the outcome of my research for the search term "king size pillow", the AI panel in SERP Lens is advising me to develop a page that is suitable for a Commercial intent that is a category or collection page. There is, however, still the opportunity to develop an Information intent page that is in a guide format, though the SERP analysis advises against this approach due to there being very few slots to occupy from prominent domains.

Where AI helps and where it doesn't

AI can be extremely helpful for SERP analysis when exposed to the right datasets and having the right ingrained skills as guardrails. Simply going to ChatGPT or Claude, even with MCPs being integrated directly in the interface, there is a key component that is missing – live data and structured data from the browser to assess the pages in question. This is where SERP Lens comes into play, providing a chat interface to connect your most important MCPs, alongside using our toolset to analyse SERP results in a live environment.

Location and device change the answer

It is important that, while you are completing your SERP analysis, you are using a VPN for the desired locations in question and comparing across different device types, as it is not uncommon for mobile searches to outweigh desktop searches for some query segments. SERP Lens provides 7 free VPN locations within the unpaid tier of the application and 61 additional VPN locations within the Pro tier. Device emulation within the browser is available across all plans, with the primary requirement to run this analysis being within the Pro plan in order to utilise the AI panel.

Common questions

How long does a SERP analysis take?

Using the SERP Lens AI panel, a SERP analysis can be completed in a matter of seconds after selecting the 'Analyze this SERP' button. All you need to do is input your query into Google's search results, and then the AI does the rest, directly in your browser.

Can I do a SERP analysis without a paid tool?

It is possible to run your own SERP analysis using free tools, though they may lack the depth and accuracy in order to guide your content creation process.

How often should I perform a SERP analysis?

Depending on your existing ranking alongside the search volume and competition, it is advised to run a SERP analysis at least every 3 months to ensure the landscape has not changed dramatically. It can be particularly useful to run a SERP analysis directly after Google has rolled out a Core Update, which can have a considerable impact on the types of pages that appear in search results.

How do Google AI Overviews impact a modern SERP analysis?

As of October 2026, AI Overviews display in Google search results in the US for 80% of all queries. This has been a drastic change compared to earlier in 2026, which makes SERP analysis even more complex. The SERP analysis with the AI panel in SERP Lens takes this into account when reviewing the data to ensure that you aren't missing important insights.