SERP: Introduction to Google’s Search Engine Results Page

SERP
Image Credit: Pixabay

Introduction

Google’s algorithm is changing daily, and one of its search features is SERP. It stands for Search Engine Results Page, which contains organic and paid search results.

Google provides users a better search experience and has upgraded to what we see years back.

If you notice that now users can get their answers without clicking on the webpages, and Google, try to show on-page content to save users’ time.

Besides ranking at position 1 in Google organic search results, it is hard to be featured in Search engine results.

Now, you can see the search results without typing the entire query into Google. It uses Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence features to show quick results.

It would be best if you adopted Google’s algorithm to be featured on the first page for a marketer. But it’s not that easy because of competition and paid ads.

In this post, we will know the types of SERPs that Google shows and how they differ from traditional search results.

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It is just a webpage you see when searching for some term on Google. It generally contains organic and paid results, images, videos, snippets, and location results.

However, each search engine result is unique for the same keyword because search engines are customized for each user.

It shows results based on the user’s activities or location. Suppose a person in New York searching for a “burger” on Google gets the result Burger, but the nearby burger shop result will be different than the person searching from London.

This is because Google knows how to show the best possible results for user convenience.

For example, search for “burger” on Google. You can see that SERP first advertises (if there is an active Ad present) a map with the nearby burger shop or restaurant and an information snippet pulled from Wikipedia about the nutrition factor of Burger.

This information is more dominant than organic results, shown below the search engine results.

Why is SERP important?

A marketer must be up-to-date with SERP features; as we know, Rank 1 organically does not provide much visibility. So, take full advantage of Google SERP tools and learn to rank higher on the search engine.

How does SERP work?

Now that you’ve got an idea of SERP and how it has changed over time, you should know about the features of search engine results.

These features will tell you how the Google algorithm works and show the users the best results.

1. Paid results (Advertisements)

paid ads SERP
Source: Google results for search term ‘best plumber in New York

If you search any term in Google and that term is used in Ad campaigns, then there are chances that you will be the first to show the ads. The advertiser generally publishes these ads to rank high on Google and tag them with sponsored or ad labels.

Google does this to differentiate between organic and paid results.

While we see about 2-3 paid ads in Google search results, the one who paid the maximum bid will be shown first. However, it is not always accurate if your page has prosperous SEO and ranking keywords, and you can beat your competitive ads with a low bid.

You don’t need to see ads for every search term in Google. It depends if any active ad campaign is running on that search term.

These paid advertisements are generally run by eCommerce sites, restaurants or shops, service providers, consultancy, or other businesses that want to be featured in the 1st position of search results.

The main reason for running a paid ad is to generate leads and sales for the business.

2. Local SERP result

local SERP
Source: Google results for search term’ coffee shops near New York’

You may have seen the local shops or nearby places while searching any term related to a location, such as “nearby ATM.” The feature of the Google local guide shows the nearest location for that particular search term.

It will show you the address, customer rating, contact number, opening or closing, price, and image of the place. You can also read the Google review of that place.

This service is helpful for restaurants, shops, malls, gas stations, ATMs, railway stations, airports, etc. The best results that appear to you depend on the strength of their local SEO.

For any offline business, local results are needed to drive more customers and increase sales.

3. Rich snippets

rich snippet SERP
Source: Google results for search term ‘garlic bread recipe’

A rich snippet contains more information than a meta description and the SEO title or URL of the page. Most apps, shops, or services use this feature.

It includes customer ratings, reviews, and pictures to help users better understand the service provider.

It can be optimized by adding structured data to their HTML pages so that search engines can understand rich snippets and also helps the users to make quick decisions without clicking on the web page.

4. Univeral search results

universal search results SERP
Source: Google results for search term ‘how to reduce belly fat

You may have seen the Google result that shows a snippet of any question from the best organic website. These results are a part of the rank one website that describes the solution to the problem being asked in Google.

For instance, the question started with the “How” or “Why” keyword generally receives these results. For example, “How to reduce belly fat” will give you quick points to reduce belly fat.

It also shows image and news results as universal search results. It saves time and data for users as they don’t have to click on the organic results.

However, it does not mean you will get all the answers from Google universal results. You may have to click on the organic result to know more.

5. Knowledge Graph data

knowledge graph SERP
Source: Google results for search term ‘who is Brad Pitt’

If you search for any query with only one answer, like “Who is Brad Pitt,” then Google will show you the knowledge graph, usually in a box that contains the result pulled from an organic search at the top of the page.

This feature helps users know the answer to the query related to celebrities, persons, or the weather. Usually, the source of information is Wikipedia, and you will get a short profile of that person along with a Wikipedia link.

6. Vertical search

vertical search SERP
Source: Google results for search term things to do in Columbia.’

Vertical search is for those users who search for some geographic regions like “things to do in Columbia.” It will pull results from other categories like images, videos, or news and display them as boxes at the top of the result.

It is beneficial for travel sites as they can take advantage of this feature by making a high-ranking SEO-rich website appear in the result box.

Key Takeaways

  • Google and other search engines update their algorithms regularly and add new features to SERP.
  • Google uses search history and other search factors to personalize your SERPs.
  • Search engines are trying to add more visual elements such as images, videos, and infographics to SERPs.
  • Interactive features like knowledge graphs, featured snippets, direct answers, etc., are added to the result page for a great search experience.

Some of the Google SERP checkers

So, you’ve got an idea of SERP features and know how it is showing results, and you are probably wondering how to rank in search engine results.

Well, some Google SERP trackers can offer you your current position in search engine results, compare the ranking keywords to the competitors, and figure out how to rank higher in search engine results.

Some of the keywords have paid plans, while some are free. You can choose them according to your needs.

1. SERPWatcher

SERPWatcher
Source: SERPWatcher

It is an all-in-one Google SERP tracker that you can track the search engine result performance from a single dashboard. You can make a custom list of popular keywords, follow the data, and ignore the irrelevant ones.

You can get a notification whenever your keywords rank to display in search engines.

Pricing: $29.9/month

2. WhatsMySERP

whatsmyserp
Source: WhatsMySERP

Suppose you want to see which keywords your website ranks at what position; it can be a great tool to check Google search engine results. It uses SEO tools to analyze ranking for different keywords and show your overall website ranking on Google search.

You can search up to 25 keywords at once to make a quick overview of your site ranking.

WhatsMySERP is free to use.

3. Keyword.com (SERPBook)

Keyword SERP
Source: keyword.com

It is an excellent tool for SEO experts who charge clients for ranking their websites—previously known as SERPBook. It is an organizational Google SERP rank checker for assigning keywords to customers, helps you perform against your peers, and provides a whole track and record.

Pricing: $30/month

4. SEMRush

SEMRush
Source: SEMRush

SemRush is a popular SEO tool that helps you to check the ranking keywords, backlinks, and other SEO-related features of your website or competitor’s website.

It includes complete search engine result checker features like featured snippets, knowledge graph data, local SERP, and Google News. You can figure out which keywords your competitors are ranking for.

Pricing: $99.95/month

5. Moz Pro

MOZ pro
Source: Moz Pro

Moz is a top-rated tool to check SERP, and its pro feature provides additional benefits like crawling your website code to find the technical issues that can help rank high, and search engines can understand your site better.

It includes advice, actionable data, and insights to improve your search engine results.

Pricing: $99/month

6. RankWatch

Rankwatch
Source: RankWatch

A tool for in-depth analysis of your search engine result check, SEO elements, backlinks, keywords, and URLs. It has a feature that does a competitive analysis of your peers and looks at which keywords they rank for SERP.

It will show you how to outrank your competitor’s website.

Pricing: $29/month

7. Moz Local

Moz local SERP
Source: Moz Local

You can use this Google rank tracker to promote your website in local results to boost your sales. It has 15 sources, along with Google, Google Maps, and Facebook, to rank your business locally.

It helps find missing or inaccurate data and lets you take advantage of search opportunities.

Pricing: Free

FAQ

What does SERP mean?

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It’s the page you see after you search on search engines like Google or Bing. 

This page includes a list of results the search engine has determined most relevant to your search query.

What are SERP features?

SERP features are elements and enhancements beyond the standard organic search result listings. 

They include featured snippets, local packs, knowledge panels, images, videos, and more. These features provide users with more direct and detailed information related to their search queries.

What is SERP analysis?

SERP analysis involves examining the top-ranked results for a specific keyword or set of keywords. 

The goal is to understand what the search engine deems most relevant for those keywords. This can help you optimize your content to rank higher in the SERPs.

What are the top 7 Google SERP APIs?

Here are the top 7 SERP APIs:

  1. ScraperAPI
  2. SerpAPI
  3. DataForSEO
  4. OxyLabs
  5. SerpStack
  6. Zenserp
  7. Apify

Conclusion

Google, the biggest search engine in the world, is changing how it looks at search results. For every update, you should be ready for SEO and try to make visibility in search engine results.

Along with SEO, you should know how to beat competitors and rank your website in SERP features.

You have to be up-to-date to drive massive traffic and generate more conversions for your business.

More Resources:

Search Engine Optimization To Improve Search Ranking

Drive Traffic To Your Website: 13 Proven Ways