SERP checker that explains what it takes to rank
Before you write a page, you need to know what Google already shows for the search: guides or product pages, a map pack, videos, a People Also Ask box. Your todo.is agent opens the live results from your chosen country, reads the top 10 pages and tells you what kind of page wins and where the gap is.
The prompt
- Check the Google results page for "[KEYWORD]" as a searcher in [COUNTRY OR CITY] on [DEVICE]. List the top 10 organic results with title, URL, page type (guide, product, category, forum, video, tool), approximate word count and publish or update date if shown. Note every SERP feature on the page: featured snippet, People Also Ask questions (write them out), map pack, videos, images, shopping ads, AI overview, Reddit or forum threads. Then tell me the search intent in one sentence, what the top 3 pages have in common, and whether a site like [YOUR SITE] can realistically compete. End with a short outline for the page I should write. Deliver it as a Word document with screenshots of the results page.
What to change
- [KEYWORD]: The exact search, e.g. "best running shoes for flat feet".
- [COUNTRY OR CITY]: Where to search from, e.g. "United Kingdom" or "Austin, Texas" for local terms.
- [DEVICE]: "mobile" or "desktop". Mobile is what most people see.
- [YOUR SITE]: Your domain, e.g. "stridelab.co.uk", or describe it: "a new blog with 15 posts".
Example result
- SERP: "best running shoes for flat feet" (Google UK, mobile)
- Search intent
- Commercial research. People want a short list of named shoes with reasons, not a medical article.
- SERP features
- • AI overview at the top, citing two review sites
- • People Also Ask: Are stability shoes good for flat feet? What shoes do podiatrists recommend? Is it bad to run with flat feet? Should flat feet wear cushioned shoes?
- • Shopping carousel with 8 products
- • Videos: 3 YouTube reviews
- • Discussions and forums: 2 Reddit threads
- Top 10 at a glance
- • 1. Specialist running magazine, guide, ~3,200 words, updated this month
- • 2. Large retailer, category page filtered by "stability"
- • 3. Review site with lab tests, ~4,000 words, tested photos
- • 4. Reddit thread (r/running)
- • 5. Podiatry clinic blog, ~1,500 words
- • 6 to 10. Two more review sites, a brand page, a health publisher, a second retailer
- What the top 3 share
- • A comparison table near the top (shoe, best for, drop, weight)
- • Clear sign of first-hand testing: own photos, mileage, tester notes
- • Updated within the last 3 months
- Can stridelab.co.uk compete?
- Not for the head term yet. The page needs real testing and strong reviews to beat rank 3. A better target is "stability running shoes for flat feet women" where the results are thinner and two forum threads rank in the top 6.
- Suggested outline
- • Quick picks table (5 shoes)
- • How we tested
- • One section per shoe: who it suits, fit notes, downsides
- • Stability vs neutral shoes for flat feet
- • Answers to the 4 PAA questions
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and replace the keyword, location, device and your site.
- Paste it into todo.is, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack.
- Your agent searches Google in its browser, reads the ranking pages and writes the report with screenshots.
- Ask follow-ups like "do the same for 5 related keywords" or "turn the outline into a full content brief".
Tips for a better result
- Forums and Reddit in the top 10 are a sign that Google lacks great answers. That is often your opening.
- Match the page type that already ranks. If all 10 results are category pages, a blog post will struggle.
- Check mobile and desktop for local or shopping searches. The features above the first organic result can differ a lot.
- Write the People Also Ask questions into your page as subheadings with short, direct answers.
SERP checker: FAQ
- What is a SERP checker? A SERP checker shows the search engine results page for a keyword: which pages rank, in what order, and which features like snippets, maps or videos appear. It helps you understand what Google rewards for that search.
- Why do my Google results look different from the report? Google changes results by location, language, device, search history and ongoing tests. Your agent uses a clean browser from the location you set, so it is a neutral view rather than your personal one.
- Can it check Bing or other search engines? Yes, ask for Bing, DuckDuckGo or another engine in the prompt. Your agent opens it in its browser the same way.
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