Table Of Content
What Exactly Are SERPs?
Why Are Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) Important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Organic Search Results
Paid Search Engine Results
Snippets of Interest
Direct Response Box
Knowledge Panel and Knowledge Graph
Local Packages
Google Image Search Results
Video Outcomes
What Exactly Are SERPs?
To put it another way: You enter (or speak) something into Google. And what you get is the SERP. Despite the fact that Google today includes hundreds of SERP elements on the first page, the two most crucial are sponsored results and organic results.The paid results are the result of marketers bidding on keywords using Google Ads. Although Google Ads considers ad relevance, ad placement is mainly determined by the highest bidder. The organic results are "earned" rankings that Google's algorithm determines to be the best, most relevant results for a specific search.
Why Are Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) Important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
The SERPs decide how your site appears on the first page of Google. Assume your site ranks on the top page of Google for the term "how to establish a website." That's fantastic... until you see that SERP characteristics put the number one result way below the fold. That implies that even if you make it to page one, you're unlikely to get many clicks. The SERP for "link building," on the other hand, is substantially less crowded. It’s basically 10 blue links. Which means that your organic result has a good chance of getting clicked on. There’s also another important factor to keep in mind when it comes to evaluating the SERPs: “no-click searches”. These no-click searches are mostly the result of SERP features (especially Featured Snippets). Assume you're looking for "when did Google start?" Why would you click on any of the ten blue links in the search results when you can find the answer right on the first page? That's why you should target terms with less SERP properties. As a consequence, your result will stand out and be clicked on. With that in mind, below are the components of a typical Google SERP:
Organic Search Results
Google's complicated algorithm (with over 200 ranking signals) determines organic results. Despite the fact that Google's algorithm is a well guarded secret, they have publicly revealed a few significant ranking variables, including:
- Off-page SEO signals (the amount of websites that link to a certain page. Also referred to as "backlinks"
- On-page SEO indicators (the keywords you use on your page)
- Site loading time
- Signals of brand presence and trust
- Page title (title tag)
- Meta description
- page URL
Paid Search Engine Results
Paid search results have a "Ad" symbol in the upper left corner of their snippet. Ads exist on 51.61% of page one SERPs, according to Rank Ranger. When advertising do show, there are 3.10 ads on average each page. Google will also place advertising at the bottom of the SERPs for extremely competitive, high-value search phrases. Because adverts display at the top and bottom of the page, they have the potential to drown out organic results. Having said that, I don't advocate avoiding keywords with a lot of advertisements. Even though the advertisements diminish your CTR, the fact that people are paying on these terms indicates that the traffic is worthwhile. In reality, I frequently target phrases with a high "commercial purpose" and a lot of commercials. True, I may not receive as many clicks. But the clicks I do receive are far more useful.
pets of Interest
Featured Snippets are brief excerpts of content from a website or video. Here's an illustration: According to Ahrefs industry research, 12% of all SERPs have a Featured Snippet. The following are examples of Featured Snippets:- FAQ: A brief statement in response to "What is" and "Who is" queries.
- For rankings and "best of" lists, use a bulleted list.
- List with numbers: Used for instructions, DIY, recipes, and pre-planned chores.
- Tables: a visual representation of dates, prices, rates, or any other data shown in a table.
And, according to Google Search Console, it's one of the primary causes for my 8.3% CTR.
Direct Response Box
"Direct Answers," which are direct answers to particular questions, appear in 18% of search results. Here's an illustration: The answers provided by Google are considered public domain. As a result, unlike a Featured Snippet, they do not cite a source or provide a link to the solution.Knowledge Panel and Knowledge Graph
Knowledge Graphs and panels are typically displayed on the right side of organic results.They are essentially "baseball card" statistics for a firm or prominent individual. The majority of this information is gleaned from carefully selected sources (like Wikipedia and Crunchbase).
Local Packages
Local Packs appear in searches for "comic book store Boston" and "comic book store near me." They may also display if Google determines that a "typical" search requires a few local results. For example, if you search for "plumber," Google thinks you're likely looking for a plumber in your area.
Google Image Search Results
Google will highlight Google Images results for terms including images, such as "cute animals" or "blue vehicles."
Video Outcomes
These are frequently seen as a set of three videos... See more with a carousel. YouTube accounts for 88% of video results. It's unclear how Google determines which results should include video. However, it is likely based in part on the term and their own split testing. For example, someone searching for "how to paint a garage" is likely looking for a video. As a result, Google displays a video carousel for that phrase.
White hat SEO is a tactic that violates search engine policies and is used to raise a site's position in search results. These dishonest methods don't provide a solution for the searcher and frequently result in a penalty from search engines. Keyword stuffing, cloaking, and the use of secret link networks are examples of black hat tactics.