What Is a SERP (Search Engine Results Page)?

search engine results

If your website is primarily dependent on organic traffic, the Search Engine Results Pages play a significant role (SERPs). In an ideal world, your content would appear in the SERPs for your relevant keywords (preferably in the top spots). If it doesn’t, you’re probably doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) incorrectly.

This article will discuss SERPs and the elements that appear on these pages.

A SERP, or Search Engine Results Page, is the web page that appears when a user enters a query into a search engine. Every SERP is distinct, based on the searcher’s location, browsing history, and preferences.

What Is the Importance of SERPS in SEO?

SERPs are essential because they index results based on ranking signals, which evaluate where a website looks on the results page.

Poor SERP ranking means less exposure, fewer clicks, less traffic, and less revenue. This is why websites devote so much time and effort to SEO.

Types of SERPS

Organic and paid content are the two major categories of the content found in SERPs.

1. Organic SERPs

Organic SERPs are pages that are shown to users based on Google’s algorithm.SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies are used by websites to improve their SERPs ranking.

2. Paid SERPs

Advertisers pay for paid SERPS, which typically appear near the top of SERPs. Previously, these SERPs were mostly text-based, but now they can also include images. Paid results are another feature of the SERPs.

What Exactly Are Local Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)?

Local SERPs are the results that appear when a searcher enters a query that is specific to a particular location. The searcher’s geographic location is used to generate these results.

The following query, “Italian restaurants near me,” yields an example of local SERPs.

The Most Essential Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) Features

Every search engine differs in how it categorises and displays results to a searcher, but the majority of search engines do have characteristics that are intended to answer the searcher’s question right on the SERP, without requiring the searcher to click on a result. The following are the most common Google SERP Features. These also have an impact on how people engage with Google’s search results.

Video Carousels

Video carousels are a collection of video results (typically from YouTube) that appear in the results. For the vast majority of search queries, Google does not return video results.

(In fact, SEMrush researchers estimate that only about 6% of search queries yield a video result.)

Having said that, video carousels are important because they take up a lot of SERP real estate. Furthermore, they are frequently found at or near the top of the page. People are more likely to click on them as a result.

Sitelinks

Sitelinks are classified into two types:

Links that direct searchers to a specific page on a web page. Or those that direct searchers to a specific section of a website. In either case, site links are intended to display a list of links beneath a traditional result. Users can then navigate directly to the page or content they want to view.

Sitelinks that appear beneath a homepage for branded searches are the most common type of site link. And site links assist you in quickly locating the page you want to visit. They enable you to quickly scan the main sections of a website. When you click, you will be taken to that section of the content.

Twitter Cards

Twitter is included in Google’s search results. When you search for something that a lot of people are talking about on Twitter, they will usually show you a Twitter card.

When you search for specific entities, they also show Twitter cards (like people or brands). As you can see, Google isn’t simply providing a link to someone’s Twitter account. It’s a dynamic SERP feature that displays a list of the user’s most recent tweets.

Location-Specific Results

Google may already know where you live, depending on your privacy settings.

For example, “best Chinese food near me” necessitates Google knowing your location in order to provide you with the best answer. A Google map snippet may appear in the results, with commercial companies highlighted by a red pin and listed below the map with contact details and review sites.

Image Packs

An image pack is a collection of images displayed by Google in search results. In other words, Google recognises search queries in which users want to see a collection of images. Sometimes the questions are obvious (for example, “pictures of cats”). However, there are times when

Based on user behaviour, Google can determine which queries should receive an image pack. This is most likely due to Google testing the results with and without an image pack. And the image pack search results gave searchers what they wanted. As a result, they decided to make it the default setting going forward.

Reviews

When a business appears in the SERPs, it is usually accompanied by a review. The review is frequently linked to the company’s Google page, where customers can leave a one- to five-star review, as well as a comment if desired. On the result page, reviews are typically displayed just below the title tag and URL, but above the meta description.

Featured Snippets

Featured Snippets are typically found near the top of the page (below the ads).

Google, on the other hand, has recently begun incorporating Featured Snippets into search results. The organic click-through rate is significantly influenced by Featured Snippets. According to Ahrefs, the Featured Snippet accounts for roughly 8% of all organic clicks. If a top organic result is particularly useful, Google may make it a featured snippet at the top of the page. These snippets scrape information from the top webpage and display it in a card (sometimes paired with a top result image), highlighting the URL at the bottom of the card and informative text from the site above it. Enrol in a Digital Marketing course in Delhi to learn more about the SERPS field.