If you’re in the SEO game, you’ve likely heard of Ahrefs, a popular tool for tracking search performance. We love this tool for general SEO. However, our recent research has revealed a surprising difference between Ahrefs and ZipTie.dev when it comes to detecting AI Overviews in search results.

The Key Findings

ZipTie.dev consistently detects AI Overviews 2 to 8 times more frequently for the same keywords than Ahrefs.

It’s important to note that this discrepancy isn’t unique to Ahrefs.

We recently conducted a similar comparison between Semrush and ZipTie, finding comparable differences. This suggests that both Ahrefs and Semrush have significantly lower AI Overview detection rates compared to ZipTie.dev. The issue isn’t specific to one tool, but rather appears to be a limitation shared by general SEO platforms when it comes to tracking AI Overviews.

Implications for SEO Professionals

For SEO professionals relying solely on Ahrefs, this discrepancy could lead to underestimating the impact of AI Overviews on their strategies.

Here’s why that matters:

  1. Missed Opportunities: You may be overlooking valuable chances to optimize your content for AI Overviews.
  2. Informed Decisions: Relying only on Ahrefs might give you a skewed perception of how common AI Overviews are.
  3. Competitive Advantage: Using ZipTie.dev can provide a clearer picture of the search landscape, allowing for more effective SEO strategies.

What Sets ZipTie.dev Apart?

Here are some key differences that make ZipTie.dev a standout option for tracking AI Overviews:

  • Higher Detection Rates: ZipTie consistently finds more AI Overviews than Ahrefs.
  • Deeper Insights: It provides detailed information about your domain’s performance in AI Overviews over time.
  • Comprehensive Data: ZipTie displays full AI Overview responses and lists all sources, which isn’t available in Ahrefs or Semrush.

Why Such a Discrepancy?

Two main factors contribute to this significant gap:

  1. User Experience Emulation: ZipTie.dev effectively mimics Google’s user experience, which can be challenging for larger platforms like Semrush and Ahrefs.
  2. Adaptability: ZipTie is quick to adapt to changes in AI Overview layouts, ensuring its data remains relevant.

Conclusion

While Ahrefs is a powerful tool for general SEO analysis, ZipTie.dev offers more accurate and comprehensive data specifically for AI Overviews. It’s essential to recognize that Ahrefs’ lower detection rate doesn’t mean AI Overviews are unimportant; rather, they may be more prevalent than indicated.

By incorporating ZipTie.dev into your toolkit, you can gain a clearer understanding of AI Overviews in search results and better optimize your content strategy for this evolving landscape.