What are SERPs? A Simple (But Complete) Guide

This is the implicit usher to hunt motor results pages, and SERP features.

It contains everything you request to cognize astir SERPs, from what they are, to however they’ve developed implicit the years.

Plus, however you tin optimize for SERPs and an implicit database of today’s astir important hunt motor results leafage features.

I’m covering:

• What are SERPs?
• Why SERPs Are Important for SEO
• A Brief History of Google SERPs
• How to Get Shown successful the SERPs
• A Comprehensive List of Search Features

And overmuch more.

Whther you are marque caller to hunt motor optimization, oregon a seasoned expert, there’s thing for you successful today’s guide.

Lets dive close in.

DOWNLOAD: A escaped checklist that volition amusement you step-by-step however to however to rapidly and easy instrumentality 9 SEO fundamentals to amended your visibility successful SERPs.

What Are SERPs?

The word “SERP” stands for Search Engine Results Page.

When you hunt connected Google and different hunt engines, the SERP is what you get shown.

Search Engine Results Pages dwell of 2 superior effect types; paid hunt results and escaped integrated hunt results:

Beyond that, SERPs tin see assorted features specified arsenic hunt ads, buying ads, featured snippets, cognition graphs, video, and representation results. No 2 results are ever the same.

Each SERP is customized based connected the idiosyncratic user, the intent of their hunt query, and hundreds and hundreds of ranking factors. This means that users volition seldom (if ever) spot the nonstop aforesaid results – adjacent erstwhile utilizing the aforesaid hunt query and hunt engine.

Why SERPs Are Important for SEO

There is nary hunt motor optimization (at slightest arsenic we cognize it now) without SERPs.

That’s due to the fact that the superior extremity of SEO is to fertile precocious connected arsenic galore applicable SERPs arsenic possible.

And not conscionable precocious up successful hunt effect pages, ideally the fig 1 spot – oregon nary little than the archetypal three:

As you tin spot above, the lion’s stock of postulation goes to the top-ranked results successful the SERP.

And precise fewer Google searches sojourn the 2nd hunt motor results page.

This means if you fertile connected leafage 2 oregon beyond, precise fewer radical are ever going to find you.

Still, don’t get fooled into reasoning that simply ranking successful the apical spots connected Google guarantees you a boatload of postulation for free.

Firstly, paid hunt results often propulsion the integrated hunt listings mode down the page.

In fact, galore commercialized searches don’t amusement immoderate integrated results supra the fold – not one:

You could beryllium the fig 1 integrated effect for presumption similar the 1 supra and inactive get small to nary traffic.

Secondly, a batch of queries do not pb to a click.

Take the hunt word “404 mistake page” for instance:

Google provides an instant reply to this query, meaning there’s nary request for a idiosyncratic to click connected immoderate of the results they find connected the page.

According to research by Sparktoro, determination are much “zero-click” searches than ever before.

Responsible for this inclination is the emergence of featured snippets similar reply boxes and paragraph snippets that reply the query from wrong the SERP.

If your extremity is much integrated postulation (who isn’t?), you privation to people keywords that don’t have a batch of SERP features.

That way, your effect is much apt to beryllium seen and clicked on.

Google’s Search Engine Results Page: A Brief Visual History

Google has travel a agelong mode since it launched arsenic “Backrub” retired of a Stanford dorm country successful 1996:

Today’s SERPs see a multitude of features that weren’t portion of Google’s aboriginal hunt engine; ads, the cognition graph, images, video, Google suggest… the database goes on.

But yet, different elements stay by and ample the same.

Take for lawsuit the modular fig of results displayed connected each hunt motor results page, it’s been 10 ever since the first-named mentation of Google successful 1997:

Or, Google’s customary elemental hunt leafage is astir identical contiguous arsenic it was successful 1999:

Other elements were introduced progressively implicit the years.

Here is simply a rundown of immoderate of the biggest Google features to get launched implicit the past 2 decades.

Google Ads Launched (2000)

Initially, resistant to the thought of ads connected their platform, Google launched their advertizing merchandise named Adwords successful the twelvemonth 2000.

Unlike different hunt motor ads astatine the time, Google’s ads were contextual and applicable to the user.

Source: Advia – Google Ads 2000

Google tested aggregate layouts successful the aboriginal years, each of which identified ads arsenic “sponsored links” and acceptable them isolated from integrated listings.

Source: Advia – Google Ads 2001

Vertical Search Launched (2001)

In its effort to organize each the world’s information careless of type, successful 2001 Google added vertical hunt capability.

The archetypal presumption had 4 tabs; web, images, groups, and directory which showcased Google’s quality to hunt the web successful aggregate ways.

Universal Search Launched (2007)

To antagonistic its vertical growth, Google added cosmopolitan hunt successful 2007.

Universal hunt combined the galore abstracted components of the Google hunt acquisition into the main hunt motor results page.

Source: marketingpilgrim.com

With this advancement, antithetic sorts of results similar images, videos, news, books, and patents could populate for immoderate fixed search, meaning users wouldn’t person to execute abstracted searches successful each verticle.

Google Suggest Launched (2008)

Google Suggest provides suggestions to users arsenic they benignant a query into the hunt box.

To find what suggestions to show, Google’s systems look for communal queries that lucifer the operation that idiosyncratic starts to participate into the hunt box.

Autocomplete predictions bespeak communal searches that person been done connected Google.

Pro Tip – You tin usage Google Suggest for keyword probe to find existent trending keywords successful your market. Enter a effect keyword into Google’s hunt container and spot the suggestions that are presented.

In 2010, Google moved the links to its hunt effect verticals to the near broadside of the page.

The determination of its navigation to the lefthand broadside intended to marque usage of further abstraction created owed to the widening of machine screens implicit time.

The sidebar was aboriginal abandoned.

Knowledge Graph Launched (2012)

Google added the Knowledge Graph to its hunt motor results leafage successful 2012.

The “graph” that connected antithetic entities, was displayed via a cognition sheet connected the right-hand broadside of the SERPs.

At the clip of launch, Google’s Knowledge Graph contained implicit 500 cardinal objects similar people, places, and brands.

Local Snack Pack (2014)

Search motor effect pages for queries with section intent were updated to see a 3-pack of section listings.

This caller “snack pack” included concern details specified arsenic concern name, category, reviews, opening times, website, and directions – features which person remained until today.

Ads Removed from the Right Hand Column (2016)

Ever since Google launched Adwords successful the twelvemonth 2000, substance ads had displayed connected the close of the hunt motor results page.

In 2016, Google switched up its SERPs and removed substance ads from the right-hand column.

Following this change, up to 4 ads were disposable astatine the apical of the SERP supra the integrated listings, and arsenic galore arsenic 3 ads were disposable astatine the bottommost of the page.

Product listing ads, connected the different hand, show inactive successful the right-hand column.

As you tin see, the hunt motor results pages person evolved significantly.

Let’s present sermon however you tin fertile successful the SERPs today.

How to Get Shown successful the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)

Before you tin commencement winning much postulation and visibility from hunt motor results pages, you request to (clearly) get into the SERPs.

There are 3 superior ways you tin get shown there:

• Paid results
• Organic results
• SERP features

Let’s breakdown each 1 down:

(1). Paid Search Results (AKA Google Ads)

Paid hunt results inhabit premier existent property connected Google’s archetypal page.

Depending connected the query, paid results (also known arsenic sponsored results) get shown astatine the apical and bottommost of the page.

For the involvement of simplicity, they dwell of 2 advertisement types:

• Search ads (text based)
• Shopping ads (product listing ads with images)

Search ads appear connected 35.82% of SERPs and mostly for commercialized keywords.

They are hard to archer isolated from integrated hunt results.

The lone flimsy quality is that hunt ads transportation a tiny “Ad” statement adjacent to the show URL.

If you privation to look successful the paid hunt results you request “pay to play.”

The paid hunt ads usage a Pay-Per-Click model. Advertisers tin bid connected definite keywords, and erstwhile their advertisement is shown and clicked on, they wage Google for the click.

The terms paid per click tin beryllium arsenic small arsenic a dollar to arsenic overmuch 20 dollars oregon much for competitory keywords. Cost-per-click prices are peculiarly costly successful the legal, dentistry, and location improvements markets.

Image credit: WordStream

Generally, the precise apical advertisement effect volition harvester a precocious bid, with a applicable advertisement and bully CTR. Google volition not amusement an advertisement successful the apical positions if it’s irrelevant to the people keyword.

Pros – Fast results, casual measurement, premier positioning connected the archetypal page, tin commencement with a tiny budget.

Cons – You wage for every click, if you person nary fund your ads volition stop, it tin beryllium precise costly astatine scale.

(2). How to Rank successful the Organic Search Results (SEO)

Organic hunt results are escaped listings.

They dwell of pages from Google’s indexed, ranked, and ordered according to their relevancy to the query.

The process of ranking the results is done by Google’s analyzable algorithm, which uses 200+ factors to find the relevancy and prime of a leafage for immoderate fixed keyword.

Google’s algorithm is shrouded successful secrecy, but thank’s to assorted SEO experiments, we person implicit the years gained a precise bully knowing of the astir important ranking signals.

• Off-page SEO signals specified arsenic the fig and prime of the websites linking to a circumstantial page.
• On-page SEO signals specified arsenic the relevancy and extent of contented connected the page.
• Page acquisition signals – specified arsenic page speed and different core web vitals.

When displaying a website successful the integrated hunt results, Google volition usually amusement a clickable rubric link, a descriptive snippet, and the URL.

You tin power what Google displays by mounting a page’s title tag, URL slug, and meta description.

But, support successful caput that mounting these meta tags doesn’t warrant Google volition amusement them.

Google lone chooses the hard-coded meta statement astir x% of the clip and often opts to show the H1 header tag alternatively of the rubric tag element.

The rubric link, description, and URL are not the lone elements to look successful hunt snippets.

If Google deems the recency of the leafage to beryllium important, they whitethorn see the publishing date:

Furthermore, if structured information (AKA “Schema”) is implemented connected the page, ratings, FAQs, and merchandise accusation tin beryllium displayed successful rich snippets.

Long communicative short, successful bid to fertile prominently successful integrated hunt results, you request to get your SEO basics successful place, make optimized SEO content that fulfills searchers’ needs, and guarantee your pages are well-cited by executing assorted link gathering strategies.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of ranking successful integrated hunt results?

Pros – Organic rankings are free, integrated results make the astir clicks, rankings tin support for years.

Cons – It tin instrumentality months of SEO to rank, listings tin get pushed down the leafage by ads and SERP features.

(3). How to Rank successful the SERP Feature’s

SERP features are immoderate benignant of hunt effect that is not a sponsored, oregon integrated listing.

There are virtually dozens of SERP features that look connected Google’s archetypal leafage from featured snippets, to People besides ask, Top stories, and Knowledge Graph results.

The fig of SERP features has accrued importantly implicit the years, resulting successful integrated listings for immoderate queries getting pushed down mode beneath the fold.

And, due to the fact that the wide intent of SERP features is to show much accusation determination is little request for users to click-through to websites anyway.

As a result, integrated CTR plummeted from 67% successful 2015 to 39% conscionable 3 years later.

Does that mean you shouldn’t effort and fertile successful the SERP features?

On the contrary.

While wide integrated CTR has been negatively affected if you look arsenic SERP diagnostic your CTR tin beryllium crazy.

Source: Ahrefs

That’s crushed capable to get featured there.

So what SERP features are there?

While not each SERP features see a nonstop nexus to your website, they astir ever look prominently connected the page:

Here’s a rundown.

SERP Features: A Comprehensive List

Google displays an array of SERP features successful its hunt results these days.

And, they’re often investigating caller ones.

Next, I’ll speech you done the astir communal features appearing successful the SERPs close now, and if and however you tin optimize your tract to show them there.

• Featured Snippets
• Direct Answer Box
• Knowledge Panel
• Local Pack
• Image Pack
• Video Results
• Top Stories
• People Also Ask
• Twitter Cards
• Site Links

Featured Snippets

As the sanction suggests, featured snippets diagnostic a snippet of contented that’s pulled from a webpage oregon video.

Featured snippets are designed to reply a query rapidly without a idiosyncratic needing to permission the hunt motor results themselves. Although different listings tin look supra them, featured snippets are usually displayed supra the fig 1 ranked web effect astatine the precise apical of the SERP.

This apical presumption is commonly referred to arsenic “position zero.”

According to a study by Semrush, 19% of each hunt motor results pages see a featured snippet.

Source: Semrush

The astir communal featured snippet types are:

• Paragraph – substance designed to springiness searchers a concise explanation oregon description.
• List – shown for an ordered acceptable of steps oregon champion of lists.
• Table – information pulled from a leafage and displayed arsenic a table.

Most featured snippets incorporate substance (either arsenic a paragraph, list, oregon table), but sometimes featured snippets are videos:

A survey by Ahrefs recovered that 99.58% of featured snippets get pulled from web pages ranking connected Google’s archetypal page.

So, if you privation to get shown arsenic a featured snippet (and the query you are targeting shows one) you archetypal request to fertile successful the top-ten web results, past format your contented appropriately.

Direct Answer Box

Answer boxes are displayed astatine the apical of the SERP successful effect to a question-based query.

Direct reply boxes (also known arsenic “knowledge cards” oregon “instant answers”) supply a abbreviated and definitive reply to a fixed query. There are respective antithetic formats.

Here is an example:

And, present is different reply container specimen:

The answers that Google displays are extracted from nationalist domain information. Common sources are sites similar Wikipedia, authoritative authorities bodies, and reputable information partners.

Unlike Featured Snippets, your website cannot fertile there, and neither would you privation to since reply boxes don’t nexus to the reply and seldom recognition the source.

Knowledge Panel

The Knowledge Panel is displayed connected the right-hand broadside of the SERPs connected desktop, and adjacent the apical of the SERPs connected mobile.

This SERP diagnostic is shown for queries relating to circumstantial entities including people, places, oregon things.

A Knowledge Panel includes a clump of facts that are applicable to the entity.

Here’s the accusation that’s shown erstwhile I hunt for Queen Elizabeth:

Landmarks, celebrities, cities, sports teams, buildings, companies, geographical features, movies, celestial objects, works of art, and much tin each get shown arsenic a Knowledge Panel.

Most of this information is scraped from Google-approved sources similar Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Crunchbase.

But for companies that accusation is extracted from Google My Business.

If you are a determination oregon service-area concern past it’s good worthwhile claiming and optimizing your Google Business profile.

Not lone volition your concern illustration get shown erstwhile idiosyncratic searches your concern oregon location.

But a logo for your concern tin besides get shown erstwhile idiosyncratic searches for a rival business.

Pretty cool.

Local Pack

Another payment to claiming and optimizing a Google My Business illustration is that you tin look successful the section three-pack.

Otherwise known arsenic the “local snack pack” this diagnostic gets shown for queries with section intent, e.g., “SEO bureau adjacent me” oregon “SEO bureau Dubai.”

The section battalion contains 3 concern results, that see the business’s name, address, telephone, opening hours, reviews, and a nexus to the business’s website.

Aside from securing a Google My Business profile, to fertile consistently successful the section pack, you’ll request to employment local SEO techniques similar reappraisal procreation and section link-building strategies.

Image Pack

If you hunt a keyword requiring a ocular answer, Google volition instrumentality a acceptable of thumbnails from Google Images.

You’ll usually find the representation battalion astatine the precise apical of the page, but it tin besides beryllium shown further down the SERP.

To get your images ranked successful the representation pack, you request to improve your representation SEO:

• Include your keyword successful the record name
• Use a desciptive alt tag containing your people keyword
• Embed the representation connected a applicable page

But, there’s a downside.

When a idiosyncratic clicks connected 1 of these results they spell to Google Images and not your website.

That’s wherefore I see our logo connected each the customized images we nutrient for the blog.

Even if the idiosyncratic doesn’t instrumentality the other measurement to click from Google images to the SEO Sherpa website, astatine slightest I inactive get immoderate branding benefit.

Video Results

When the hunt query demands it, Google volition show videos successful the SERP.

In 88% of cases, video results are pulled from YouTube. This fig rises to 91% if the idiosyncratic states “video” successful their query.

So, if you privation to amusement up successful the video results, it’s wide you’ll request to big your video connected YouTube.

Sure, videos tin beryllium displayed from different sources, but it’s acold little frequent.

Plus, you’ll request to spell done the process of adding VideoObject schema markup to your page.

And that’s a spot of a hassle.

Top Stories

Top stories show successful a carousel and amusement precocious published articles, unrecorded blogs, and videos.

You’ll find the apical stories carousel amusement up for presumption related to existent quality stories.

As you spot above; Google shows a thumbnail, title, steadfast name, and timestamp for each quality communicative it displays. Top stories are usually shown astatine the apical of the SERP and are returned erstwhile a peculiar quality communicative is trending.

Unfortunately, it’s truly hard to get featured successful the Top Stories carousel unless you are a Google News-approved website.

In fact, conscionable 0.69% of results connected desktops travel from sites that are not indexed successful Google News.

What’s more:

Ranking successful Top Stories tends to beryllium precise short-lived. The quality of these results demands caller content, and successful astir cases, freshness lasts lone a substance of hours.

In different words, unless you are a quality outlet, attempting to fertile successful Top Stories isn’t worthy the effort.

People Also Ask

The People Also Ask diagnostic shows questions related to your query, that users often inquire connected Google.

Google usually inserts the People Also Ask questions midway down the SERP.

It contains a acceptable of questions – and displays their answers erstwhile you click connected the down arrow.

The chill happening astir People Also Ask is that it offers users an effortless mode to find answers to their adjacent query without leaving the SERP.

Basically…

Google is predicting what you mightiness privation to cognize adjacent earlier you’ve adjacent thought of it.

Pretty cool, right?

According to Ahrefs, 43% of Google’s hunt results contain a People Also Ask section.

And this tin supply an fantabulous root of taxable ideas arsenic portion of your contented selling research.

Ranking successful People Also Ask is simply a batch similar ranking successful instant reply featured snippets.

You request a abbreviated succinct reply to each question displayed connected your website.

To get ideas for People Also Asked keywords I urge AlsoAsked.com.

Twitter Cards

Twitter Cards (also known arsenic “Tweet Boxes”) show the astir caller Tweets from a circumstantial Twitter account.

For example, a hunt for Hubspot surfaces a Tweet Box midway down the SERP:

Since Google includes existent tweets successful its index, it’s capable to show Hubspot’s tweets interactively wrong the SERP and not conscionable a nexus to the Hubspot Twitter profile.

You’ll find Twitter cards displayed for branded queries, but they tin besides find them for applicable non-brand queries too.

Queries relating to trending events specified arsenic sports games whitethorn amusement Tweets from aggregate accounts.

Site Links

There are 2 types of tract links.

Sitelinks that nexus to interior pages connected the aforesaid website:

Sitelinks that nexus to different sections connected the aforesaid webpage:

Either way, tract links are displayed beneath the main effect – and arsenic such, they are much of a SERP enhancement than an existent SERP feature.

Sitelinks should look people for marque queries, and Google volition show your site’s astir salient pages, conscionable arsenic they bash present for SEO Sherpa:

Hint – to dictate which links connected your tract get shown, guarantee your desired pages are linked prominently wrong your main navigation.

You tin besides power the tract links for interior links connected the aforesaid page.

The champion mode to bash that is by adding leap links to important sections of the aforesaid page.

Healthline did this, and it resulted successful tract links getting shown wrong the hunt motor results page.

Pretty cool.

Factors Influencing What Gets Shown successful SERPs

Google and different hunt engines usage analyzable algorithms to find the make-up of the SERPs.

These factors alteration implicit clip arsenic their algorithms germinate to amended recognize what makes a prime effect from a user’s constituent of view.

Let’s instrumentality a look astatine the main facets affecting what gets shown successful the hunt motor results pages today.

(1). Search Intent

Simply put, hunt intent is the “why” down the search.

When a idiosyncratic performs a hunt query they privation to execute immoderate 1 of these things:

• Navigate to a website – e.g., “facebook”
• Find accusation – e.g., “who is volition smith”
• Buy thing – e.g., “buy iphone x”
• Do immoderate commercialized probe – e.g., “best hotels successful Dubai”

In astir cases, it’s evident to hunt engines what users are looking for.

But successful different instances, it’s not ever arsenic clear.

Take the query “website audit.”

Searchers of this keyword whitethorn privation to larn however to bash a website audit (informational intent) oregon get an audit done of their website (transactional intent).

When determination is mixed intent, Google volition amusement the champion results for each hunt intent and volition show results for the astir apt intent towards the top.

(2). Location

Where idiosyncratic is located erstwhile they execute a hunt influences the results they are shown.

A query for “italian restaurant” searched successful Dubai (where I americium now):

Shows a precise antithetic acceptable of results compared to the exact aforesaid query searched successful New York:

Not lone that, but a hunt from a abstracted determination wrong the aforesaid metropolis tin show precise antithetic listings.

If a hunt motor infers a query has section intent, results wrong adjacent proximity to the searcher volition beryllium fixed preference.

(3). Search and Browser History

Google personalizes hunt results according to each user’s browsing history.

Here’s however it works:

Let’s accidental you sojourn Booking.com much often than you bash Agoda, Google volition deduce that you are much funny successful Booking.com’s results and volition personalize the SERP to amusement Booking.com higher for applicable searches.

Google does this by analyzing web cookies saved successful your browser – and by viewing your implicit web past if you are logged into Google.

The benignant of information Google uses, includes:

• Searches you’ve done connected Google
• Search results you’ve clicked on
• Websites you’ve visited
• Videos you’ve watched
• Store locations you’ve visited

If you’d similar to spot hunt results that are not personalized, you should hunt successful incognito mode.

(4). On-Page SEO

How good the contented connected a leafage answers the hunt query is possibly THE astir important origin affecting what results are shown successful the SERP.

For a leafage to beryllium considered for ranking it should incorporate contented that satisfactorily answers the people hunt query.

Google crawls respective on-page elements to find a page’s relevancy:

• Title tag
• Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc)
• URL
• Body content
• Images

To summation your ain chances of ranking precocious successful the SERPs it’s recommended to see your people keywords successful these places connected your page.

To fertile higher than each competing pages, your contented should reply the hunt query amended than anyone else’s.

Generally speaking – the results that champion reply a user’s hunt query volition beryllium placed astatine the precise apical of the SERP. At slightest that’s Google’s goal.

(5). Off-Page SEO

Search engines don’t lone trust connected the contented connected a leafage to find its relevancy.

They besides measure assorted off-page signals. Things like:

• Number of marque mentions
• Volume of links to the page
• Authority of links to the page
• Anchor text utilized successful the links

And truthful on, and truthful forth.

By evaluating these off-page factors Google is capable to gauge a page’s authorization by the fig and relevancy of pages citing it arsenic a source.

Of each off-page signals, nexus metrics person by acold the highest power implicit results successful the SERPs.

Final Thoughts

The much you cognize astir SERPs and SERP features, the easier it volition beryllium for you to leverage hunt motor optimization to triumph much visibility for your concern connected Google.

But simply staying up to day with Google’s trends isn’t enough.

You request to know and apply SEO strategies that amended your site’s hunt motor optimization – and let you to ascent towards Google’s archetypal page.

To assistance you get started, I’ve enactment unneurotic a step-by-step checklist that volition amusement you however to quickly and easy instrumentality 9 SEO fundamentals.

Best of all, you tin download the PDF checklist for free, below: