SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) have:
- Organic content
- Paid content results
Google made SERP features for an easier searcher experience.
SERP features provide searchers with answers to their queries via on-page content, without clicking organic results.
On-page SERP features are helpful for searchers, but harder for marketers to attract attention in organic search results.
Even if content ranks first in the search results, SERP features make it harder to get searchers attention.
For example:
In the past, searching for “pizza” would result in a mix of:
- Restaurant websites
- Directories
- Review websites like YELP
- Blog posts about pizza places
Now when you search “pizza” the SERP displays:
- Advertisements
- A map with nearby pizza restaurants
- A pizza nutritional information card from Wikipedia
All this is higher on the page compared to organic results.
Even a top organic ranking brand like Pizza Hut is below the SERP features.
What does SERP stand for?
SERP is an acronym for Search Engine Results Page.
When you search on Google, the webpage with results that shows is a SERP.
SERPs are:
- Unique, even for the same keywords
- Customised for each searcher
A SERP has:
- Organic results
- Paid results
- Featured snippets
- Images
- Videos
- Location-specific results
Remember, stay up-to-date with new SERP features.
Ranking your content at the top of search results doesn’t get attention as much as it used to.
So, make sure to utilise Google’s SERP tools so you can rank higher.
In the past, page two of Google would mean little to no clicks.
These days, results below the SERP features get fewer clicks.
SERP Features
- Rich Snippets
- Paid Results
- Universal Results
- Local SERP
- Vertical Search
- Knowledge Graph data
Rich Snippets
A rich snippet has more information compared to a normal snippet like:
- Pictures
- Reviews
- Customer ratings
A normal snippet in the organic search results has:
- The page title
- URL
- Meta Description
By site owners simply adding structured data markup to their HTML:
- Search engines know what their website is about
- Helps optimise your content for rich snippets
Paid Results
Paid results show up at the top of the SERP as:
- Ads
- Sponsored posts
Google helps you notice paid results by:
- A sponsored or ad label below the result
- Separately boxing off the result in an area of the page
- Another visual element
Universal Results
Universal results are Google results from other verticals like:
- Google Images
- Google News
For example, Google’s featured snippets are also classed as universal results.
They provide answers in boxes at the top of the page, so users don’t have to click on organic results.
Other universal results include:
- Image results
- News results
Local SERP
Local SERPs are search results based on your current location.
For example, searching for a “restaurants” or a specific product will show:
- Local locations that match your query
- Exactly where you can find them on a map
Vertical Search
Vertical search appears as a box at the top of result pages when Google provides elements from other categories like:
- Images
- News
- Video
Vertical searches are related to search topics like geographical locations.
For example, searching for “London, UK” shows Google results boxes including:
- “Things to do in London”
- “London in the News”
Knowledge Graph data
A Knowledge Graph is a box answering your query from an organic result.
For example, if your search has one answer, like “what is the weather?”
Google shows a Knowledge Graph at the top of the results page.
Google SERP Tools
Now you need to learn how to rank higher in SERP and how to get into SERP features like local SERP or universal results.
Using SERP tools can help:
- Know your SERP position
- Compare keyword rankings with competitors
- Plan how to rank higher
WhatsMySerp
WhatsMySerp is an SEO tools that can scan and analyse:
- Your rankings for different keywords
- Your overall website ranking on SERP
You can search up to 25 keywords at once, giving you a quick overview of how your website ranks in search engines.
Best of all, it’s free.
Moz Local
61% of local searches result in a purchase, so make sure your business is optimised for local SEO.
Moz Local checks how your business ranks locally using up to 15 sources, including Google and Facebook.
Offering actionable advice for incomplete or inconsistent listings.
Moz Local is also free.
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