Purpose
- In-SERP overlays to speed research directly on Google results.
Turn Them On First
SERP enhancements ship switched off. A fresh install shows nothing on Google until you enable them, which is the most common reason people think the feature is broken.
Run any Google search, find the Sprout panel in the right-hand column, and flip the switch in its header. The setting is remembered, so this is a one-time step. Flip it back off whenever you want a clean SERP.
When It Appears
- Standard Google search result pages.
- Excluded: Images (
udm=2), Video, Shopping, News, and Books results. - The panel mounts into Google’s right-hand column. If Google isn’t showing one on that query, the extension creates its own column for it.
Modules Included
Search trends
- Interest over time chart for the query, with geo and time-range selectors.
Keyword ideas
- Paginated table of related keywords with volume and CPC, exportable to CSV.
- A compact volume and CPC badge also appears next to the Google search box for the query you just ran, with the country flag it used.
- If the keyword source has no data for your country, the badge falls back to US figures and says so in a tooltip rather than showing a blank.
Core Web Vitals per result
- LCP, CLS and INP for each ranking page, from the Chrome UX Report.
- Correlation analysis showing Core Web Vitals against ranking position.
- Click any result’s score to open a detail panel with the full histograms.
Local search simulator
- Set a location, either by address with autocomplete or by lat/long coordinates.
- Set the interface language.
- Set the device: Desktop, Android, iPad or iPhone.
- Click “Enable Search Override” to reload results. No VPN required. Use Reset to clear it again.
People Also Ask extractor
- Choose how many levels deep to crawl, then download a CSV of the full PAA tree.
- Only appears when the current SERP actually has a People Also Ask block.
Position numbers and breadcrumb cleanup
- Both live in the right-click menu rather than the panel. Position numbers overlay a rank badge on each result and label the SERP “Brought to SERP by Sprout SEO Extension”.
Browser Notes
The location override in the local search simulator works on Chrome and Edge. It relies on rewriting a request header, and Firefox does not expose the API that needs. On Firefox the language and device overrides still apply, but the location one has no effect.
Workflow Wins
- Stay on the SERP while grabbing trends, PAA trees, and keyword ideas. No tab hopping.
- The local simulator previews geo, language and device variants without VPN gymnastics.
- Exports (keywords, PAA) speed handoffs to content and paid teams.
Recommended Plays
- Content brief start: Pull the PAA CSV plus trends for the query to seed the outline and FAQ.
- Local SERP check: Set location, language and device, reload, and skim positions.
- Keyword recon: Export keyword ideas to compare against your target list.
- Performance pattern: Read the Core Web Vitals correlation across the top ten before you promise a client that speed is the problem.
Actions
- Export keyword and PAA CSVs.
- Reset location and device overrides and reload results.
- Toggle the SERP widgets off if you just want a clean SERP view.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Nothing on the SERP at all? Check the toggle in the panel header. Widgets are off until you switch them on.
- If widgets overlap results, resize the window or toggle off and on.
- Empty charts or tables can mean a rate limit or genuinely no data. Wait and retry.
- SERP overrides may not work on restricted or heavily personalised results.
- Keyword volume, Core Web Vitals and link status checks are looked up by a Sprout service, so the page URL or query leaves your browser for those specific features. Everything else in this panel is computed locally. See Data and Privacy.