# Google AI Overview Tracker & Checker – Sources & Citations (`rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker`) Actor

Check which keywords show a Google AI Overview, get its full text and every cited source, and see whether your domains are cited or rank in the top 10. Any country, language and device. An AI Overview checker and GEO tracker for SEO teams.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker.md
- **Developed by:** [Rowfeed](https://apify.com/rowfeed) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, AI
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.50 / 1,000 keyword checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Google AI Overview Tracker & Checker – Sources & Citations

Check which of your keywords show a Google AI Overview, get its full text and every source it cites, and see whether your domains (or competitors') are cited, named in the text, or rank in the top 10 below it. Any country, language and device.
Built for SEO and GEO (generative engine optimization) teams, agencies reporting AI Overview visibility to clients, and content teams who want to know which pages Google's AI quotes. No browser, no proxies, no Google account.

### What you get

One row per keyword:

- `has_ai_overview` and the full `ai_overview_text` (Markdown, with Google's own links).
- `sources`: every page the AI Overview cites, in order: `position`, `source` name, `domain`, `url`, `title`. Plus `cited_domains` as a simple list.
- `tracked_domains` (free): for each domain you list, `cited_in_ai_overview`, `source_position`, `mentioned_in_text` (brand named in the overview) and `organic_position` in the regular results. `any_tracked_cited` sums it up.
- `organic_top10`: the regular results on page one, usually 8 to 10 (`position`, `domain`, `url`, `title`), free.
- `location`, `language`, `device`, `google_url` and `checked_at`.

When Google loads an AI Overview a moment after the page (about 1 in 7 keywords in our tests), the Actor searches once more and waits for it, at no extra charge to you.

### Example output

```json
{
  "keyword": "best crm for small business",
  "has_ai_overview": true,
  "ai_overview_text": "Choosing the best customer relationship management (CRM) tool for a small business depends on your specific workflow, budget, and team size. ...",
  "ai_overview_position": 1,
  "sources_count": 11,
  "sources": [
    { "position": 1, "source": "Reddit", "domain": "reddit.com", "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/CRM/comments/1e5141p/best_and_inexpensive_crm_for_small_business/", "title": "Best and inexpensive CRM for small business - Reddit" },
    { "position": 2, "source": "Salesforce", "domain": "salesforce.com", "url": "https://www.salesforce.com/crm/crm-for-small-business/", "title": "CRM For Small Business (Your Complete Guide) - Salesforce" }
  ],
  "cited_domains": ["reddit.com", "salesforce.com", "pcmag.com", "youtube.com", "fayedigital.com"],
  "tracked_domains": [
    { "domain": "salesforce.com", "cited_in_ai_overview": true, "source_position": 2, "mentioned_in_text": true, "organic_position": null },
    { "domain": "hubspot.com", "cited_in_ai_overview": false, "source_position": null, "mentioned_in_text": true, "organic_position": null }
  ],
  "any_tracked_cited": true,
  "location": "United States",
  "device": "desktop",
  "checked_at": "2026-11-04T19:07:21+00:00"
}
```

Here HubSpot is named in the AI Overview but not cited as a source: exactly the gap a GEO team wants to see.

### Input

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `keywords` | Google searches to check, one per line. Up to 1,000 per run. |
| `trackDomains` | Optional: your domains and competitors' (up to 20). Free citation, mention and rank check per keyword. |
| `location` / `language` | Search from this country and in this language, e.g. `United States` / `English`, `Germany` / `German`. |
| `device` | `desktop` (default) or `mobile`. |

### Pricing

Pay per event, no subscription:

- **$2.50 per 1,000 keywords checked** ($0.0025 per keyword). Failed searches are free.
- **+ $3 per 1,000 AI Overviews found** ($0.003 per keyword that shows one). Keywords without an AI Overview do not pay this.
- $0.002 per run start. Tracked domains and the organic top 10 are free.

Examples: 100 keywords where 60 show an AI Overview cost $0.43. 1,000 keywords, all with an AI Overview, cost $5.50.
Cap the cost of a run with the maximum charge setting; the Actor never starts a search the budget cannot pay for.
**Try it for $0.002:** the pre-filled example is answered from a saved snapshot of a real search (rows carry `from_snapshot: true`). Change anything and the check runs live.
Live checks need a paid Apify plan (any plan); the pre-filled example works on the free plan.

### Good to know

- Google sometimes hides a result's link behind a google.com redirect. Following those redirects is not allowed (Google's robots.txt), so such a result comes with `url: null` and the real site in `domain`, taken from the address line Google shows. Rank tracking by domain still works.
- Results come through a licensed data provider (DataForSEO) that searches Google from the chosen country, so you get what a new visitor sees, not a personalised page.
- Searches go through a queue: results usually arrive within 1-3 minutes; runs with hundreds of keywords take a few minutes more.
- AI Overviews change from day to day. Schedule the Actor (daily or weekly) to track citations over time.

### More tools from Rowfeed

- [AI Visibility Tool](https://apify.com/rowfeed/ai-search-visibility-tracker) – is your brand named and cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode.
- [SERP API & Rank Checker](https://apify.com/rowfeed/google-serp-api) – Google results for any keyword and country, with your domain's position.
- [Keyword Generator](https://apify.com/rowfeed/keyword-generator) – hundreds of long-tail keyword ideas from Google, YouTube and Bing autocomplete.
- [Keyword Research Tool](https://apify.com/rowfeed/keyword-search-volume) – search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty and intent.
- [Competitor Keywords](https://apify.com/rowfeed/competitor-keywords) – every Google keyword any website ranks for.

Not affiliated with Google.

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Google searches to check, one per line. Up to 1,000 per run.

## `trackDomains` (type: `array`):

Domains to look for: are they cited in the AI Overview, at which source position, and where do they rank in the top 10? Up to 20. Free.

## `location` (type: `string`):

Search from this country, e.g. "United States", "United Kingdom", "Germany".

## `language` (type: `string`):

Google interface language, e.g. "English", "German".

## `device` (type: `string`):

Search as a desktop or mobile user.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "how to lower blood pressure",
    "best crm for small business"
  ],
  "trackDomains": [
    "hubspot.com",
    "salesforce.com"
  ],
  "location": "United States",
  "language": "English",
  "device": "desktop"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "best crm for small business"
    ],
    "trackDomains": [
        "salesforce.com",
        "hubspot.com"
    ],
    "location": "United States",
    "language": "English"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": ["best crm for small business"],
    "trackDomains": [
        "salesforce.com",
        "hubspot.com",
    ],
    "location": "United States",
    "language": "English",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "best crm for small business"
  ],
  "trackDomains": [
    "salesforce.com",
    "hubspot.com"
  ],
  "location": "United States",
  "language": "English"
}' |
apify call rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,rowfeed/google-ai-overview-tracker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/bVgSU2ChlG5yXQl6T/builds/tAKtXqPkdtNXCq1Ng/openapi.json