Did the vs-page
actually flip the SERP?

RoleYou are running the monthly vs-page performance review for my B2B SaaS company. For every shipped vs-comparison page, pull GSC data, run a SERP check, score each page across 4 trajectory metrics, classify into one of 5 states (WAIT / CLIMBING / WINNING / STALLING / REGRESSING), and output a per-page action recommendation.

My BrandBrand: [your B2B SaaS brand name]
Reporting period: last 30 days vs prior 30 days
GSC property: [your GSC property URL]

vs-Page Portfolio// List every vs-page you've shipped, both directions. Format: URL | target query | ship date.

1. /vs/competitor-a | YourBrand vs Competitor A | 2026-01-15
2. /competitor-a-vs-yourbrand | Competitor A vs YourBrand | 2026-02-08
3. /vs/competitor-b | YourBrand vs Competitor B | 2026-02-22
// Add all live vs-pages

TaskFor each page in the portfolio:

1. Calculate page age in weeks (from ship date to today).
2. If age < 6 weeks → classify as WAIT, no further analysis needed.
3. If age >= 6 weeks → run the full assessment.

METRIC 1 · Average position
- Pull GSC average position for the page in last 30 days vs prior 30 days.
- Calculate position change (+ for improvement, − for regression, note GSC is inverse: position 1 is better than position 5).
- Categorize current position: TOP_3 (positions 1-3), TOP_10 (4-10), TOP_30 (11-30), DEEP (31+).

METRIC 2 · Impression growth
- Pull GSC impressions in last 30 days vs prior 30 days.
- Calculate impression growth percentage.
- Flag growth > 25% as STRONG, 0-25% as MODERATE, negative as DECLINING.

METRIC 3 · CTR change
- Pull GSC CTR for the page in last 30 days vs prior 30 days.
- Calculate CTR change percentage.
- A CTR drop while position improves indicates the SERP context shifted (more featured snippets, AI overviews, or stronger competitor titles compressing CTR).

METRIC 4 · Branded query lift
- Pull GSC data for branded queries containing your brand name in last 30 days vs prior 30 days.
- Filter to people who saw the brand for the first time on this page (use country/device/timing heuristics if landing-page-to-branded-query data isn't directly available).
- A vs-page that drives branded query lift is the highest-value type. It's converting research traffic into eventual brand awareness.

SERP check via web_searchFor each non-WAIT page, run a web_search for the target query and capture:
- Whether your page appears in top 5 organic
- Whether the competitor's reverse page appears
- Whether AI overviews / featured snippets are dominating
- Any new competitor pages that have launched in this query space

Trajectory classificationCombine the 4 metrics into 1 of 5 states:

WAIT (age < 6 weeks): too early to evaluate. Re-check in 4 weeks.
CLIMBING (age 6-12 weeks AND position improving by 2+ slots OR impressions growing > 50%): healthy trajectory through evaluation period.
WINNING (age >= 6 weeks AND position TOP_3 AND impressions growing or stable): page is succeeding.
STALLING (age >= 12 weeks AND position TOP_10 or worse AND no improvement in last 4 weeks): page is plateaued.
REGRESSING (page lost 3+ position slots OR impressions declined > 25% over last 4 weeks): page is losing ground.

Per-page action recommendationWAIT → "WAIT" (no action; re-check in 4 weeks)
CLIMBING → "WAIT" (let evaluation period complete; minor optional optimization, add FAQ schema if missing)
WINNING → "DOUBLE-DOWN" (internal-link from related pages; refresh creative every 90 days; cite as evidence in next gap-finder run)
STALLING → "REFRESH" (re-run Alternatives Page System with this page as input; common refresh patterns: better headline, restructured comparison table, stronger differentiation)
REGRESSING → "INVESTIGATE" (find the cause (competitor refresh, Google algorithm shift, internal site issue) before deciding to refresh or kill)

Special case: if a page has been STALLING for 2+ consecutive monthly checks AND a refresh has already been attempted → "KILL" (repurpose the URL for a different vs-pair or remove from sitemap).

Output format1. Headline: total vs-pages in portfolio, count by trajectory state, the single most urgent action.

2. Per-page status table: 1 row per page. Columns: page URL / age / current position / position trend / impression growth / trajectory state / recommended action.

3. Action breakdown: count of pages by recommended action (DOUBLE-DOWN / REFRESH / INVESTIGATE / WAIT / KILL).

4. Top 3 priorities for the next 30 days: most urgent actions to take, with rationale.

5. Honest calibration:
   - If portfolio is < 5 pages, flag that single-page outcomes will dominate the aggregate, interpret with caution.
   - If 50%+ of pages are STALLING, surface this as a systemic issue with the underlying alternatives page production approach, not individual page failures.
   - If competitors have shipped multiple new pages in the last 30 days affecting REGRESSING pages, flag this as a competitive intelligence event worth its own investigation.

// Be specific about position changes, "moved from #14 to #8" is more actionable than "improved."
// Be honest about the 6-week minimum. Pages younger than 6 weeks have no signal, declaring them failures is the most common premature-kill mistake.
// The action recommendation is the most actionable output. Make it specific enough that the operator knows what to do without re-reading the analysis.
// REGRESSING is the rarest but most urgent state, a page going backwards is usually a competitive event, not a quality issue.