Chrome extension

serp.ac SEO Inspector is a free Chrome extension that brings serp.ac into your browser. It checks the SEO of any page you open, numbers Google's results as you search, and shows whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode mention your brand in their answers.

It works without an account. If you connect your serp.ac account with an API key, you can track keywords, prompts and purchased links in one click, straight from the page you're looking at.

What it does

The extension has three parts. Each can be switched on or off in its settings.

1. SEO Inspector popup. Click the extension icon on any page to get a full on-page report. It has these tabs:

• Overview: title and meta description length (characters and pixel width), canonical, robots meta, X-Robots-Tag, robots.txt check, language and word count. Also a redirect chain tracer and an hreflang validator.
• Headings: the H1–H6 outline with warnings.
• Links: internal and external links, nofollow, sponsored and UGC, with filters, copy and CSV export. Also a broken link finder.
• Images: every image with its alt text, so you can spot missing alt attributes.
• Schema: JSON-LD, Microdata and RDFa, checked against Google's rich result rules.
• Social: Facebook, X, LinkedIn and WhatsApp share previews with warnings.
• Speed: Core Web Vitals measured in your browser for the open page.
• Marketing: technology detector, UTM builder, contact finder and (with a key) notes on links you bought.
• Tools: quick links (robots.txt, sitemaps, site: search and more) plus serp.ac's free tools.
• serp.ac: connect your account and use the actions below.

2. SERP overlay on Google. On Google search results you see a position number next to every organic result, counted the way rank trackers count. Your domains and competitors are highlighted. A toolbar lets you export the results as CSV, copy the URLs, see which SERP features appear, read People also ask questions and AI Overview sources, and switch the search location.

3. AI answer tracker. On ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode, once an answer has finished, your brand names and competitors are highlighted. A small panel shows whether you were mentioned, your rank in the answer, whether your site is a cited source, and every cited domain. Names you typed in the question itself are ignored.

Without an account vs. with an API key

Feature	No account	With a serp.ac API key
Popup SEO checks	✓	✓
Google overlay and AI tracker	✓ (domains and brands you type in the settings)	✓ (your projects' domains, brands and competitors are used automatically)
Track a keyword in serp.ac	–	✓ from the popup or the Google toolbar
Track this prompt weekly	–	✓ from the AI answer panel
Add a purchased link	–	✓ Add to Link management in the popup
Link notes on publisher sites	–	✓
Search volume, CPC, difficulty, intent	–	✓ uses your monthly keyword lookups

The index check always opens a Google site: search in a new tab. It's free and doesn't use any quota.

Install and connect step by step

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for serp.ac SEO Inspector. Click Add to Chrome.
2. Pin the icon: click the puzzle icon in Chrome's toolbar, then the pin next to serp.ac SEO Inspector.
3. A welcome page opens after installing. Use it to try each feature and add your website, brand names and competitors. You can also do this later in the extension's settings (Your domains, Brand names, Competitor domains).
4. To connect serp.ac, open Settings → API in the app, type a name and click Create key. Copy the key; it's shown only once. Only the account owner and admins can create keys.
5. Click the extension icon, open the serp.ac tab (or the extension's settings page), paste the key and click Connect.
6. Pick a project. "Track" actions add keywords and prompts to the selected project.
7. Search on Google or open an AI answer to see the overlay and panel in action.

On the serp.ac Getting started checklist, the "Install the Chrome extension" step is ticked when you click I've installed it, or automatically the first time the extension calls serp.ac with your API key.

Privacy: what is sent to serp.ac

• Page analysis runs locally in your browser, only when you click the icon. The extension reads the page and requests the site's own /robots.txt and headers. Nothing is sent to serp.ac.
• The Google overlay and AI tracker only read the results and answers on your screen. They make no requests to those sites and store no chats.
• No browsing history, no analytics, no ads.
• With a connected key, data goes to serp.ac only:
  • when you press an action button (for example Track or Add to Link management): the page URL, the keyword, the prompt, or the link's target URL and anchor;
  • when you open Marketing → Link notes: the hostname of the site you're viewing;
  • for search volume: the query of the Google search you're viewing, with its country and language. You can turn the automatic lookup off in the settings.
• Your API key is stored only in your browser's extension storage and sent only to serp.ac. Disconnect in the extension at any time and revoke the key under Settings → API.

Tips

• Add competitor domains in the settings. They're highlighted on Google and counted in AI answers, even without an account.
• Use the Google toolbar's location switcher to see results for another country, language or city before you track a keyword there.
• On a publisher's site, open Marketing → Link notes to see the links you already pay for there: status, price and renewal date.
• The optional noindex warning (off by default) shows a red badge whenever a page has a noindex tag or a canonical pointing elsewhere. Turning it on asks for access to all sites.

FAQ

Do I need a serp.ac account to use the extension?

No. The page checks, the Google overlay and the AI answer tracker all work without an account. Connecting an API key adds one-click tracking, link notes and search volume.

Why can't I see search volume on Google?

Search volume needs a connected serp.ac API key and uses your account's monthly keyword lookups. When they run out, the toolbar says so and links to Billing.

Does the AI tracker read or save my chats?

It reads the finished answer on your screen to highlight names, locally in your browser. Chats are never stored and AI answers are never sent to serp.ac. Only the question text is sent, and only when you click Track this prompt weekly.

Which AI assistants does the tracker cover?

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode in the browser. Prompts you track in serp.ac are checked by the app itself on the engines your plan includes, which can also include Claude. See AI visibility.

My API key stopped working in the extension. What happened?

The key was probably revoked under Settings → API. Create a new key and paste it in the extension's serp.ac tab.

Related guides

• API & MCP
• Rank tracking
• AI visibility
• Purchased links