Advice and answers from the Advanced Web Ranking Team
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Track Ranking, Volatility & Feature Shifts with AWR’s SERP Similarity Report
Compare two SERPs side by side to spot ranking changes, intent shifts, and feature differences. AWR’s SERP Similarity Report is ideal for SEO audits, algorithm impact analysis, and detecting cannibalization.
Ever wondered if two SERPs are telling the same story or spinning completely different tales?
With the new SERP Similarity report in Advanced Web Ranking, you can see just how closely two SERPs resemble each other across rankings, URLs, and intent, whether you’re comparing results across different dates, search markets, or devices. It’s like holding two SERPs up to the light to spot what changed, what stayed the same, and what it all means for your SEO strategy.
Want to track how rankings evolved after an algorithm shakeup? Curious if mobile and desktop results tell the same story, or how results differ between different search markets? Or whether two keywords are returning nearly identical SERPs (and possibly cannibalizing your content)? This report covers it, highlighting ranking shifts, detecting intent changes, spotting volatility, and surfacing new or missing SERP features and competitors.
You can narrow the focus to only your tracked websites for a cleaner, competitor-focused view, or zoom out to get the full SERP landscape and uncover fresh players you weren’t tracking.
Where to find the SERP Similarity report
Head to Ranking → SERP Analysis → SERP Similarity. Pick any two different update dates, a keyword, and a search engine, and AWR will line up in the comparison table the matching SERP snapshots as follows:
On the left, the Previous SERP, based on the older update date
On the right, the Current SERP, from the more recent update date
At the top of the report, there’s a toggle labeled Mirror selection. This option is turned ON by default, and works as an apples-to-apples comparison mode: the SERPs retrieved for the same keyword and same search engine are compared across the two selected dates. In this mode, whenever you change the keyword or engine for the Previous SERP, the Current SERP automatically follows. Perfect for “what changed over time?” type of work.
Switch Mirror selection OFF when you want to mix and match: compare mobile to desktop, different markets such as US to UK, or even one keyword to another to sniff out content cannibalization. With the toggle off, the Previous and Current inputs (keyword and search engine) can be independently selected.
The three KPIs panels - Similarity Score, Top Changes Summary, and SERP Features Changes - located in the top part of the report give you the big picture, while the detailed comparison table below shows how individual URLs performed.
The Similarity Score: One Metric, Four Signals Behind It
The first KPI, the Similarity Score, is the heart of the report. It is represented as a 0–100 value showing how alike your two chosen SERPs are. Rather than focusing on a single factor, it blends four complementary signals that together paint a more complete picture of the two SERPs' similarity:
How many URLs held the exact same positions in both SERPs (Ranking URL Pairs Match)
How much overall movement occurred across all rankings (Position Stability Score)
How many URLs do the two SERPs share, regardless of their position (URL Intersection over Union)
And whether the search intent remained the same (Search Intent Consistency).
The score adjusts based on the result depth you’re looking at, whether it’s the Top 10, Top 20, or All results, so it always reflects the part of th SERP that you care about.
Now, let’s deep dive into each similarity factor individually:
Ranking URL Pairs Match shows how many URLs held the exact same position in both SERPs. If a URL ranked #3 before and still ranks #3 now, that’s counted as a matched pair.
To calculate the score, we compare the number of these position-perfect matches to the total number of URLs in the Current SERP. This metric is all about precision, not just whether a URL appears in both result sets, but whether it’s holding its ground.
Scores close to 100% mean most URLs stayed exactly where they were, indicating a very stable results page. Lower scores suggest movement: the URLs might still be present, but they’ve moved up or down the results list.
In the screenshot below, the score is 27%, with only 4 URLs keeping their exact position in the top 20 between the two updates. The other 74% either climbed, dropped, or got replaced altogether. That’s a clear sign the SERP experienced noticeable ranking shifts, even if some of the main players didn’t change.
Position Stability reflects how much movement occurred across ranking URLs between the two compared SERPs. If most URLs stayed close to their previous positions, the score remains high. But if ranking positions shifted significantly, the score drops.
Color-coded change labels make interpretation quick and easy:
Green = minimal movement (stable)
Orange = moderate changes (some movement, but not chaotic)
Red = significant shifts (high volatility)
In the screenshot below, a 54% Position Stability Score is marked with an orange label, meaning the SERP experienced moderate changes. Specifically, 20 URLs shifted position, enough to register noticeable fluctuation, but not a full SERP shake-up.
URL Intersection over Union shows how many URLs the two SERPs share, regardless of their ranking position. It looks at the big picture: who's present, not where they’re ranked.
This metric is calculated by dividing the number of shared (common) URLs by the total number of URLs across both SERPs. When both SERPs contain many of the same URLs, the score is high. If they have little or nothing in common, the score drops.
In the screenshot below, the score is 38%, meaning there’s partial overlap - 12 URLs appear in both SERPs out of a total of 32 URLs. This kind of mid-range score often points to SERPs that are evolving, possibly due to an algorithm update or new content entering the race.
Search Intent Consistency tells you whether the search engine is still seeing the query the same way across the two SERPs being compared. It looks beyond URLs and rankings to measure how similar the primary and secondary intent signals are.
The score values reflect different levels of alignment:
100% means both primary and secondary intents are identical; the search engine’s interpretation hasn’t changed at all.
75% means the primary intent is still the same, but secondary nuances have shifted.
25% indicates that the secondary intent remained steady, but the core purpose of the query shifted.
0% means a complete shift in both primary and secondary intent; the selected search engine interprets the query differently.
Think of this metric as the “why” behind what’s ranking. Two SERPs might share many of the same URLs, but if the Search Intent Consistency score drops, it means the search engine’s understanding of the query has shifted (eg, from informational to transactional). Even if rankings appear stable on the surface, a change in intent can signal that the type of content the search engine is looking for is no longer the same.
In the screenshot below, the 100% match confirms that during both updates, the search engine interpreted the query in the same way. That gives you a reliable foundation to focus on ranking movements and URL changes without second-guessing the purpose behind the SERP.
But if this number drops in future comparisons, that’s your signal to revisit your content strategy, format, or targeting. Because when search intent shifts, even strong pages can lose relevance if they no longer align with what the search engine expects to serve for that query.
Top Changes Summary: A Clear View of Gains, Losses, and New Entries
The second KPI, Top Changes Summary, gives you a quick overview of how individual ranking URLs or domains evolved between the two SERPs you're comparing. While the Similarity Score shows how similar the SERPs are overall, this KPI panel focuses on who changed. It shows which pages climbed in rankings, which ones moved down, and which either entered or dropped from the SERP entirely.
Right at the top of the panel, you’ll see a metric called content replaced. This score tells you how much of the Current SERP is made up of new domains that weren’t present in the Previous one. A high content replaced score suggests that the SERP has undergone significant changes, often triggered by algorithm updates, new players emerging, or shifts in intent. A low score, on the other hand, signals a more stable SERP, where most competing websites remain consistent across updates.
In the screenshot below, the content replaced score is 44% for the Top 20 results. This means that almost half of the results in the Current SERP are domains that didn’t rank in the previous update, a sign of moderate volatility.
Just below the percentage, the panel breaks down the most significant changes into four categories:
Highest Jumps highlights the domains or URLs that gained the most ground, those that moved up several positions. They might represent long-time competitors making a comeback or fresh content that is better aligned with the current search intent of the query.
Biggest Drops shows the opposite story: the domains that lost visibility and dropped several positions, sometimes falling out of the top results altogether. These movements can reveal which competitors are struggling, or even point to your own losses.
New Entries flags all domains that appear in the Current SERP but weren’t present in the Previous one. These newcomers might be emerging competitors, newly published content, or pages that recently gained authority. In some cases, they come from entirely different platforms or verticals (such as YouTube or Images), especially if the SERP intent has changed. Either way, these are domains worth watching closely, particularly if they landed directly in the top results.
Drop Signals identifies the reverse: domains that were present in the Previous SERP but are no longer ranking. It’s your go-to section for spotting the URLs, whether from your own site or a competitor, that lost their place in the Current SERP. Drops like these can result from changes in content relevance, technical issues, shifting search intent, or simply being outperformed by better-optimized results.
Whether you're auditing SERP changes after a core update, tracking how your competitors are performing, or simply trying to understand how volatile the results are for a high-priority keyword, the Top Changes Summary gives you a clean, structured way to navigate the chaos.
SERP Features Changes: What Disappeared, What Took Its Place, and Why It Matters
The third KPI in the SERP Similarity report, SERP Features Changes, highlights how the SERP layout evolved across the two update dates you’re comparing. It shows which SERP features, like Videos, Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, People Also Ask, etc., were added, removed, shifted positions, or swapped out for something else.
For each change, you’ll see the feature type, its ranking position in the Previous SERP, and what replaced it in the Current one. Tracking these layout-level changes is important because a feature change can suppress or boost your performance (eg, visibility, click-through) even if your organic rank number didn’t change.
In the screenshot below, we can see that a People Also Ask group, a Discussions & Forums group, and a Video result were all replaced by standard organic listings. These changes can shift user behavior, especially if those features previously dominated the top of the page. For instance, when a video block disappears, you may see an increase in clicks for traditional content, even if your rank hasn’t changed. Conversely, if a feature such as the People Also Ask appears where none existed before, it could suppress organic traffic by stealing the spotlight.
Used together with the Similarity Score and Top Changes Summary, the SERP Features Changes panel helps you connect the dots between visibility and ranking performance. It’s a reminder that SEO isn’t just about where you rank; it’s also about what other types of search results are competing for attention in the SERP.
The SERP Comparison Table: From Summary to Full SERP Breakdown
Below the three KPIs, you’ll find the comparison table that brings all the details from the two SERPs into focus. While the KPI panels offer a summary of how the SERP changed and in what way, the table shows you exactly where those changes occurred, down to individual URLs. It’s the most detailed layer of the SERP Similarity report, turning summaries into URL-level insights you can explore.
Each row in the table represents a ranking URL from the Current SERP, aligned with its match (if any) in the Previous SERP. You can immediately spot whether a URL held its position, shifted up or down, entered the SERP, or dropped out completely. Gray, flat connector lines mean a stable position between updates. Steeper curves, green and red-tinted ones, point to up or down movement. Where no matching result exists on the other side, you’ll see visual cues indicating either a new entry (on the right) or a dropped URL (on the left).
This side-by-side view isn’t just visual, it's also interactive. You can use the search bar at the top to locate a specific page by URL or title. If you want to focus your view, click Add filters and select from options like Position, Previous Position, or SERP Features. You can also use the tabs above the table - Improved, Declined, New URLs, or Dropped URLs - to zero in on ranking changes that matter most to you:
Improved highlights the URLs that climbed higher in the Current SERP
Declined shows URLs that decreased in position and may need attention.
New URLs includes pages that didn’t rank before but are now part of the SERP.
Dropped URLs flags pages that disappeared entirely from the current SERP.
You’re not limited to one result depth either. With just a click, you can switch between Top 10, Top 20, or All URLs (the number of top results retrieved from the search engine according to the search depth selected at the project level). This selection doesn’t just change what’s shown in the table; it also affects how the KPI values are calculated, ensuring that all the metrics always reflect the portion of the SERP you're analyzing.
You can also activate the Tracked websites only toggle to limit the view to domains you're actively tracking as competitors in your project. This option is especially useful when reviewing performance across a crowded SERP, but you can flip it off again to see how you’re performing in the full competitive context.
Do you have any further questions or need more information about this product update? Don't hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated support team.
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