Track Indented Results in STAT (New) – Moz

Note: This article is written for web publication and is based on real SEO concepts, Moz STAT-style rank tracking workflows, Google Search behavior, and modern SERP feature analysis. It does not include source links in the body so it can be copied cleanly into a CMS.

Search results used to be simple. You typed a query, Google served ten blue links, and SEO reporting looked tidy enough to make a spreadsheet feel like a crystal ball. Then the SERP grew extra limbs: featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image packs, shopping modules, local packs, videos, sitelinks, andbriefly but memorablyindented results. For SEOs, this changed the question from “Where do we rank?” to “How much of the page do we actually own?”

That is exactly why the topic “Track Indented Results in STAT (New) – Moz” matters. STAT, part of the Moz ecosystem, has long been associated with large-scale SERP tracking, competitive visibility analysis, and keyword segmentation. When Google expanded indented results in organic SERPs, the feature created both opportunity and confusion. A domain could appear once, then appear again directly underneath itself, slightly shifted to the right like a search result saying, “I brought a friend.”

For marketers, that small indentation carried big implications. It could mean more SERP real estate, stronger topical authority signals, better content clustering opportunities, or a warning that two pages were competing for the same query. Even though Google later stopped displaying the classic visual indentation as a regular SERP treatment, the lesson remains highly relevant: modern SEO teams must track not only rankings, but also how search engines group, display, and prioritize multiple URLs from the same site.

What Were Indented Results?

Indented results were organic search listings where Google showed a second result from the same domain directly under a primary result. The second listing appeared visually offset, making the two results look grouped. Instead of one URL from a site taking one position, the domain appeared to occupy a larger block of the SERP.

For example, imagine a website ranking for the keyword “best ergonomic office chairs.” The main result might be a buying guide, while the indented result could be a related page comparing lumbar support features. To a searcher, both pages seem connected. To an SEO team, that grouping says something important: Google sees multiple pages from the same domain as relevant to the same query.

Indented results were not the same as sitelinks. Sitelinks usually appear under branded or navigational results and help users jump to key sections of a site. Indented results were closer to grouped organic listings, often appearing for non-branded queries when Google found more than one relevant URL from the same host.

Why SEOs Cared About Indented Results

Indented results were exciting because they made “double-dipping” possible. A website could appear twice on page one for a valuable keyword, pushing competitors farther down. In competitive SEO, that is not a small thing. SERP space is beachfront property. If your site owns two lots, your competitors are suddenly setting up umbrellas behind the snack bar.

But the feature also created reporting headaches. If your rank tracking tool counted only the first URL, you might miss the second page entirely. If it counted both without context, your report might exaggerate performance. If you ignored the feature, you might fail to notice internal cannibalization, where two similar pages compete for the same query instead of supporting a clearer content strategy.

This is where STAT-style tracking becomes valuable. A serious SERP tracking workflow should capture the keyword, ranking URL, device, location, date, SERP features, competing domains, and whether multiple URLs from the same site appear together. Without that level of detail, you are not analyzing the SERPyou are squinting at it through a foggy window.

How STAT Helps Track SERP Visibility

STAT Search Analytics is designed for teams that need rank tracking at scale. While small websites may check a few keywords manually, agencies, enterprise brands, SaaS companies, publishers, and ecommerce teams often track thousands or even hundreds of thousands of keyword-location-device combinations. That scale demands more than a basic position report.

In a STAT-style workflow, keywords can be grouped by market, intent, product category, funnel stage, geography, device, content type, and competitor set. This makes indented results and grouped same-domain results easier to analyze. Instead of asking, “Did we rank?” teams can ask sharper questions:

• Which keyword groups produced multiple URLs from our domain?
• Which pages appeared as the primary result and which appeared as secondary results?
• Did grouped results improve estimated visibility?
• Did competitors gain or lose grouped listings?
• Are we seeing helpful topical coverage or harmful keyword cannibalization?

That last question is critical. Two pages ranking together can be a win when they serve distinct user needs. It can be a problem when they are nearly identical and confuse Google about which page should be the main result.

Indented Results, Host Groups, and Canonical Thinking

Google has used different language over time to describe grouped results from the same site. The idea overlaps with what many SEOs call host groups: two or more consecutive results from the same website appearing together because they are relevant to the same query.

When this happens, the right response is not always “celebrate immediately.” Sometimes, grouped results show that your content architecture is working beautifully. Other times, they reveal that you have overlapping pages targeting the same search intent.

When grouped results are good

Grouped results can be helpful when two pages answer different parts of the searcher’s need. For example, a software company might rank with a product page and a comparison guide. The product page helps users who are ready to buy. The comparison guide helps users still researching options. Together, they create a stronger search experience.

When grouped results are a warning sign

Grouped results can be a warning if both pages say almost the same thing. If you have two blog posts titled “How to Track SERP Features” and “SERP Feature Tracking Guide,” and both target the same keyword with similar content, Google may not know which one deserves priority. In that case, consolidation, canonical tags, stronger internal linking, or content differentiation may be needed.

How to Track Indented or Grouped Results in STAT

To track indented results effectively in STAT or a similar enterprise rank-tracking platform, start with a clean keyword strategy. Do not throw every keyword into one bucket and call it a day. That is not SEO analysis; that is a digital junk drawer.

1. Segment keywords by intent

Separate informational, commercial, transactional, navigational, and local keywords. Indented or grouped results mean different things depending on intent. A grouped result on a “best tools” keyword may signal strong content depth. A grouped result on a branded query may simply reflect normal brand dominance.

2. Track the ranking URL, not just the domain

Domain-level reporting is useful for visibility summaries, but URL-level tracking tells the real story. If two URLs from your site appear for the same keyword, you need to know which URL leads, which URL follows, and whether that pattern changes over time.

3. Compare desktop and mobile SERPs

SERP layouts can differ by device. A result that appears prominently on desktop may be pushed lower on mobile because of ads, local packs, video modules, or other features. For indented or grouped results, mobile visibility may look especially different because screen space is limited.

4. Monitor location-specific changes

Search results vary by geography. For national brands, tracking multiple markets helps reveal whether grouped results appear broadly or only in certain regions. For local businesses, tracking city-level rankings can uncover whether Google prefers location pages, service pages, or blog content for specific queries.

5. Watch competitors’ grouped results

Your competitors’ indented or same-domain results can be just as important as your own. If a competitor gains two organic listings for a money keyword, your page may technically hold the same rank but receive fewer clicks. That is why modern SEO reporting should include competitive SERP ownership, not only your ranking position.

What Metrics Matter Most?

Tracking indented results is not about collecting data for the joy of making dashboards blink. The goal is to turn SERP behavior into better decisions. The most useful metrics include:

• Primary URL: The top-ranking page from your domain for a keyword.
• Secondary URL: Any additional grouped or consecutive page from the same domain.
• Rank position: Where each URL appears in the organic results.
• SERP feature presence: Whether other elements, such as snippets or local packs, affect visibility.
• Share of voice: How much visibility your site owns across a keyword set.
• Competitor overlap: Which competitors appear near or above your grouped results.
• Landing page consistency: Whether Google continues to prefer the same URL over time.

These metrics help separate real wins from vanity wins. Ranking twice sounds great, but if both URLs sit below a huge shopping carousel, a featured snippet, and three ads, the business impact may be smaller than the report suggests.

Indented Results and Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages from the same site compete for the same query in a way that weakens performance. Indented results sometimes made cannibalization easier to spot because Google visually grouped similar URLs. Today, even without the classic indentation, SEO teams still need to watch for multiple URLs swapping positions for the same keyword.

Here is a practical example. Suppose an ecommerce site has three pages targeting “running shoes for flat feet”:

• A category page listing products
• A blog post explaining how to choose shoes
• A buying guide comparing top models

If all three pages rank inconsistently for the same query, the team must decide what each page is supposed to do. The category page might target shoppers ready to browse. The buying guide might target commercial investigation. The educational blog post might target early-stage research. Once each page has a clear role, internal links, titles, headings, and calls to action can be adjusted accordingly.

How to Optimize for Multiple SERP Listings

You cannot force Google to show grouped results, and there is no magic schema markup that says, “Please indent me, mighty algorithm.” However, you can improve your chances of earning strong multi-page visibility by building a clear, useful content ecosystem.

Create topic clusters

Build a pillar page around a major topic, then support it with related pages targeting specific subtopics. For example, a cybersecurity company might create a pillar page on “cloud security” and supporting pages for compliance, monitoring, access control, threat detection, and vendor comparison.

Use intentional internal linking

Internal links help search engines understand relationships between pages. Link from broad guides to specific resources, and from specific resources back to the main hub. Use descriptive anchor text that reflects the page’s purpose.

Differentiate search intent

Do not publish five pages that all answer the same question in slightly different outfits. Give each page a unique job. One page can define a concept, another can compare options, another can show pricing considerations, and another can provide a case study.

Improve titles and meta descriptions

If multiple pages appear for the same query, their titles and descriptions should make the difference obvious. A user should instantly understand why one page is a guide, another is a product page, and another is a comparison resource.

Review canonical signals

If two pages are nearly duplicates, consider consolidation or canonicalization. Google often chooses a canonical URL from duplicate or very similar content, but site owners can help by sending consistent signals through canonical tags, sitemaps, internal links, and redirects.

Why This Still Matters After Google Stopped Classic Indentation

Google stopped showing classic indented results as a regular visual feature, but that does not make the tracking concept obsolete. Search engines still show multiple results from the same domain when they believe those pages are useful. The visual treatment may change, but the strategic question remains: how much meaningful visibility does your site own for a topic?

Modern search is increasingly crowded. AI Overviews, featured snippets, video carousels, forums, local packs, image results, and shopping modules can all change how users interact with rankings. A page may remain in position three while clicks decline because the SERP above it changed. That is why rank tracking must evolve into SERP intelligence.

STAT Reporting Tips for SEO Teams

To make STAT reporting more useful, build dashboards around decisions rather than raw data. Executives do not need 47 tabs of keyword exports. They need to know what changed, why it matters, and what action is recommended.

Build reports by business category

Group keywords by product line, service, region, or audience segment. This makes visibility trends easier to connect to revenue and content priorities.

Highlight grouped URL opportunities

Create a recurring review of keywords where your domain has multiple ranking URLs. Label each case as an opportunity, a cannibalization risk, or a neutral result.

Track competitors by topic cluster

Competitors vary by keyword group. Your competitor for a product keyword may be different from your competitor for an educational query. STAT-style segmentation helps avoid misleading comparisons.

Combine STAT with Search Console

Rank tracking shows what appears in the SERP. Search Console shows queries, clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position from Google’s own reporting. Together, they help explain whether visibility changes are actually affecting traffic.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The first mistake is celebrating every multiple-URL result as a win. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is a sign your content strategy needs a haircut.

The second mistake is reporting average rank without context. Average rank can hide major changes inside important segments. If your average ranking improves because low-value informational keywords rise while high-value product keywords fall, that is not a victory. That is a spreadsheet wearing a fake mustache.

The third mistake is ignoring SERP features. A keyword’s organic position matters, but so does everything around it. Ads, AI summaries, snippets, videos, and local packs can all affect CTR.

The fourth mistake is failing to assign ownership. If an SEO report identifies cannibalization but no one owns the content update, the insight becomes decorative. Pretty, but useless.

A Practical Workflow for Tracking Indented Results in STAT

Here is a simple workflow for teams that want to apply this concept today:

1. Export keywords where your domain has more than one ranking URL.
2. Group those keywords by topic, intent, device, and location.
3. Identify the primary and secondary URL for each query.
4. Check whether the pages serve different search intents.
5. Compare performance with Search Console clicks and CTR.
6. Decide whether to keep, merge, redirect, canonicalize, or differentiate the pages.
7. Monitor changes after content updates and internal link adjustments.

This turns rank tracking into a content strategy engine. Instead of staring at positions, you are improving site architecture, clarifying intent, and strengthening topical authority.

Experience-Based Notes: What Tracking Indented Results Teaches in the Real World

After working with SERP data for a while, one thing becomes obvious: Google is rarely confused in a random way. When multiple URLs from the same site appear together, there is usually a reason. The reason may be excellent content depth, overlapping intent, strong internal linking, brand authority, or simply a query that deserves more than one answer. The job of an SEO is to figure out which reason applies.

In practical campaigns, the most useful discoveries often come from comparing grouped results with page purpose. One client-style scenario might involve a software site ranking with both a feature page and a blog guide. At first, this looks like a win. Two listings! Break out the tiny SEO confetti cannon. But a closer look may show that the blog post gets clicks while the feature page gets impressions but poor engagement. That tells the team the searcher wants education first, not a sales pitch. The next move is not to delete the feature page. It is to improve the journey between the guide and the feature page with better internal links, clearer calls to action, and content that answers the next question.

Another common experience appears in ecommerce. Category pages, buying guides, and product pages can all rank for the same keyword. When that happens, the SEO team must decide which page should lead. For a query like “best waterproof hiking boots,” a buying guide may deserve the top role. For “men’s waterproof hiking boots size 11,” the category page may be better. For a specific model name, the product page should probably win. Tracking multiple ranking URLs reveals whether Google agrees with your intended architecture.

The biggest reporting lesson is that rank data needs a story. A client or manager does not care that a secondary URL moved from position seven to position five unless you explain what that means. Did the page gain visibility because the content was refreshed? Did a competitor drop? Did Google change the SERP layout? Did the primary page lose clicks? The best reports connect movement to action.

There is also a humility lesson. SEO tools are powerful, but they are not magic binoculars into Google’s brain. STAT can show patterns. Search Console can show performance. Crawlers can show site structure. Analytics can show behavior. The strategy comes from combining those clues. When tracking indented or grouped results, do not assume the data gives one obvious answer. Look at intent, content quality, internal links, backlinks, page freshness, SERP features, and user behavior together.

Finally, the best experience-based advice is to review these patterns monthly, not once a year. SERPs change too quickly. A keyword that showed one page last quarter may show two pages now. A competitor may suddenly own a larger block of the results. A Google interface change may reduce the value of a ranking that once performed well. By building grouped-result analysis into your monthly SEO routine, you catch opportunities while they are still fresh and fix cannibalization before it quietly eats your traffic like a raccoon in a pantry.

Conclusion

Track Indented Results in STAT (New) – Moz is more than a feature-specific SEO topic from the era of visually indented Google results. It is a reminder that modern rank tracking must look beyond simple positions. The real value lies in understanding how your pages appear together, how competitors occupy SERP space, how search intent changes by query, and how grouped results can reveal both opportunity and overlap.

Whether Google visually indents results or simply displays multiple same-domain URLs in sequence, the SEO lesson is the same: track the full SERP, segment your data, study URL-level performance, and turn ranking patterns into smarter content decisions. In the age of crowded search results and AI-shaped discovery, the teams that win are not the ones with the prettiest rank reports. They are the ones that understand what the SERP is trying to tell themand act before their competitors do.