Simulated for the third-party demo domain (no GSC property access). Deterministically seeded; illustrative only.
FILE 01 — WHAT IS INFLATIONRECOVERABLE
44% DROP
RANK #6.4 · AI CITED 2/4 · SERP 2/4
CRAWLERS — GPTBot · ClaudeBot · OAI-SearchBot
59.6% traffic drop. Cited in 2/4 AI answers, behind fidelity.com, navyfederal.org, wealthenhancement.com. Competitor content wins the citation; closing the specific gap is the fix.
PROMPT-LEVEL EVIDENCE · LIVE TAVILY + LLM SYNTHESIS
“Inflation is a general increase in the prices of goods and services across the economy over time, which reduces the purchasing power of money. It is measured as a percentage change in a price index, such as the Consumer …”
“Inflation affects the economy in multiple ways: it reduces purchasing power by raising the cost of goods and services, discourages saving (since money loses value over time), and can distort business investment decisions…”
“Inflation is measured by tracking changes in the prices of a representative "basket" of goods and services over time. Government agencies collect prices on selected items, compute a price index by comparing the basket's …”
“Inflation is caused by an interplay of factors, primarily involving the relationship between money supply, demand, and supply of goods. Economists commonly identify several drivers: **demand-pull inflation** (when consum…”
CITED #3 SERP #6
ROOT CAUSE — CONTENT GAP
The page IS cited in 2 of 4 AI answers (cited_prompts_of_total: '2/4', best_citation_position: 1), which rules out ai_overview_absorption per the hard rule. With an ~43.5% traffic drop over 6 months and rank position at 6.4 (still ranking but no longer top), the loss is not a core algorithm update since the site still earns AI citations and ranks. The competitor coverage notes reveal the gap: for the head query 'what is inflation', competitors fidelity.com, congress.gov, and federalreserve.gov are cited instead of investopedia.com — authoritative/governmental sources are being preferred for the definitional query. Additionally, for 'how is inflation measured', investopedia is absent from citations entirely (usafacts.org, congress.gov, clevelandfed.org, brookings.edu cited). This indicates specific subtopic coverage gaps where authoritative-measuring-methodology content is missing or not seen as authoritative enough, allowing rivals to absorb those AI citations and likely the corresponding organic clicks.
CONFIDENCE 0.78 · EVIDENCE live_gemini_grounded
FILE 02 — HOW TO INVEST IN INDEX FUNDSLOST · COMPETITOR
“To invest in index funds, start by opening an investment account—such as an IRA for retirement savings or a standard brokerage account—and choose a fund that tracks a market index you want to follow. You can buy shares t…”
“For beginners, index funds are an excellent choice because they offer low costs, broad diversification, and simplicity, making them ideal for those just starting out [5][6]. Specific beginner-friendly options include Fid…”
“Index funds and ETFs are similar in that they both pool investors' money into a diversified, professionally managed portfolio—often tracking a market index. The key differences lie in trading and structure: ETFs trade th…”
“The amount needed to start investing varies widely. Some brokerages allow you to begin with as little as $1 using fractional shares, while many recommend setting aside a percentage of your income—such as 10–15% for retir…”
NOT CITED NOT IN TOP-10
ROOT CAUSE — CONTENT GAP
The page is cited in 2 of 4 AI answers (including the 'best index funds for beginners' and 'index funds vs etfs' prompts), so AI overview absorption is ruled out per the hard rule — the page demonstrably earns AI citations. The page still ranks well (position 4.3) and AI answers are present across all prompts, yet traffic dropped 59.6%, suggesting the page is losing the zero-click segment to AI answers on prompts where it is NOT cited. Specifically, for the head prompt 'how to invest in index funds,' Investopedia is absent from the cited domains (fidelity.com, navyfederal.org, wealthenhancement.com, schwab.com all cited instead), indicating a content gap on the core topic — likely missing or weaker coverage of fund-tracking index selection and account-opening mechanics that competitors surface. Core algorithm update is unlikely because the page retains its ranking position; the loss is concentrated in clicks despite stable rankings, consistent with AI absorbing the query but only for prompts where competitors cover the subtopic better.
CONFIDENCE 0.78 · EVIDENCE live_gemini_grounded
FILE 03 — HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORELOST · AI ANSWER
21% DROP
RANK #6.7 · AI CITED 0/4 · SERP 0/4
CRAWLERS — GPTBot · ClaudeBot
Cited in 0/4 AI answers. Best position: —. Competitors cited: experian.com, broadviewfcu.com, fswb.bank.
PROMPT-LEVEL EVIDENCE · LIVE TAVILY + LLM SYNTHESIS
“To improve your credit score, focus on these key actions:
1. **Pay all bills on time** — Payment history is the most significant factor in your credit score. Set up autopay or reminders to ensure you never miss a due da…”
“Improving your credit score typically takes anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on the severity of the issues affecting it. Quick wins like correcting errors on your credit report can show results in a…”
“Your credit score is affected by several key factors, with **payment history** being the single biggest influence (35% of your score) [1][3][7]. Other major factors include the **amount of debt** or credit utilization ra…”
“Credit utilization is the percentage of your total available revolving credit that you're currently using, calculated by dividing your outstanding balances by your total credit limits. It significantly impacts your credi…”
NOT CITED NOT IN TOP-10
ROOT CAUSE — AI OVERVIEW ABSORPTION
The page is cited in 0 of 4 tracked AI answers despite AI answers being present for all prompts, satisfying the hard rule for ai_overview_absorption. Competitors like Experian, Equifax, and NerdWallet are being cited instead, and the AI snippets directly answer the query ('Pay all bills on time', 'Payment history is the most significant factor'). The page still ranks at position 6.7, so the 21.3% traffic drop is unlikely to be purely algorithmic; the more direct mechanism is that Google AI Overviews are absorbing the informational queries this page targets. While content_gap is a candidate (this Investopedia piece likely lacks the specific subtopic depth competitors offer on individual prompts like 'credit utilization explained'), the AI citation data shows competitors are winning AI citations across all 4 prompts, strongly suggesting the page is being bypassed by AI answers rather than merely outranked.
CONFIDENCE 0.82 · EVIDENCE live_gemini_grounded
FILE 04 — WHAT IS A ROTH IRALOST · AI ANSWER
36% DROP
RANK #5.5 · AI CITED 0/4 · SERP 0/4
CRAWLERS — GPTBot · OAI-SearchBot
Cited in 0/4 AI answers. Best position: —. Competitors cited: schwab.com, fidelity.com, prudential.com.
PROMPT-LEVEL EVIDENCE · LIVE TAVILY + LLM SYNTHESIS
“what is a roth ira”
CITED: schwab.com · fidelity.com · prudential.com
“A Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is a retirement savings account funded with after-tax dollars, meaning you contribute money you've already paid taxes on. While there's no upfront tax deduction, your investment…”
“A Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA differ primarily in their tax treatment. With a **Traditional IRA**, you contribute pre-tax dollars, getting an upfront tax deduction, but you pay taxes on withdrawals in retirement; thes…”
NOT CITED NOT IN TOP-10
“roth ira income limits”
CITED: investor.vanguard.com · tiaa.org
“For 2026, single filers must have a MAGI under $153,000 and joint filers under $242,000 to make a full Roth IRA contribution; partial contributions are permitted within income phase-out ranges, and there are no age requi…”
“For the 2026 tax year, the Roth IRA contribution limit is $7,500 for individuals under age 50 and $8,600 for those age 50 and older. For the 2025 tax year, the limits are $7,000 for those under 50 and $8,000 for those 50…”
NOT CITED NOT IN TOP-10
ROOT CAUSE — AI OVERVIEW ABSORPTION
The page is cited in 0 of 4 AI answers for relevant Roth IRA prompts, satisfying the hard rule for ai_overview_absorption. AI answers are present for all 4 prompts (ai_answer_present_all_prompts: true), and authoritative financial brand domains (schwab.com, fidelity.com, irs.gov, vanguard.com) are absorbing the citation slots that previously would have driven clicks to this Investopedia explainer. Despite still ranking at position ~5.5, organic clicks dropped ~36% over six months—a pattern consistent with zero-click AI answers absorbing demand for top-of-funnel 'what is X' queries. The page is being out-cited, not outranked, and a content rewrite cannot recover traffic that never clicks through.