Pi Datametrics’ ranking modes are designed to reflect the modern search landscape, where visibility is no longer defined by a simple list of blue links but by a rich mix of features, conversations, and touchpoints across the SERP. The platform offers three distinct ranking modes, each serving a specific purpose:
Feature Rank groups entire SERP features (like People Also Ask or product carousels) into unified positions, giving a clearer view of performance within feature-driven search.
Absolute Rank goes a step further by assigning a unique position to every individual element on the page, enabling granular analysis of exactly where each asset appears.
Classic Rank preserves continuity for legacy reporting by focusing solely on traditional organic links
The key benefit of these ranking modes is flexibility and deeper insight. Users can switch between views depending on their objective—whether that’s maintaining consistent reporting, understanding performance within SERP features, or analysing every available “doorway” to visibility. This approach aligns with how search has evolved into a multi-touch, conversational experience, allowing teams to better measure presence, identify opportunities across features, and make more informed, actionable decisions. Ultimately, the ranking framework gives users access to levels of visibility and detail that were previously impossible to measure, making Pi’s tracking significantly more powerful and future-proof.
Feature Rank (Pi default)
We rank SERP features as blocks - links within these blocks all share the same position. Users will be able to include or exclude feature blocks, but this won’t reset the ranking for the remaining positions.
Example: Popular products = 4th block - Each of the 5 linked products has the position 4:
Why - A more accurate view of how searches see search results. Some blocks have many links with equal click-through rate and visibility. Also, when attributing Share of Voice and Visibility, this avoids over-attributing value to a site when attaining a single link in a single block.
Absolute Rank
Coming soon
We rank every link we see - left to right, top to bottom.
Example:
The first organic result is a Classic link and is ranked in position 1
The second organic result is a People also ask SERP feature, with each question ranked sequentially to create positions 2,3,4,5.
Another Classic link in position 6
Popular products. 5 products ranked sequentially to create 5 positions - 7,8,9,10,11.
Why - The pure, unaffected results are listed left to right, top to bottom. Pi’s Feature Rank creates a view that we believe is more reflective of a link's visibility and value. Absolute rank removes this to reveal the most basic attribution of rank to position.
Classic Rank
We only rank and position features in the Classic feature family (blue links).
Example: If the SERP returned: Classic links, People also ask, and Popular Products. We remove all non-classic links and rank what remains. Therefore, the remaining classic links are in positions 1 and 2:
Why - Some legacy reporting practices in SEO teams will only attribute organic positions to classic links.