A search engine displays the SERP page after receiving a user’s search request. Search engine results pages (SERPs) typically include paid search and pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements and organic search results. Since users tend to click on results that appear on the top of the page, ranking position on a SERP can be very competitive, thanks to search engine optimization (SEO). SERPs are becoming much more complicated due to the introduction of schema markup to anticipate user needs.
The first page of Google search results receives more than 90% of all consumer traffic. Don’t worry if your website isn’t there yet. You can use tactics to raise your ranking, but you must first comprehend the qualities of search engine results pages and how they rank results.
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What Is SERP (Search Engine Results Page)?
The page after you enter a query into Google, Yahoo, or another search engine is known as a search engine results page, or SERP. Since Google dominates the market with over 80% of the search engine market share, we’ll concentrate on its features and algorithms even though each search engine’s SERP design is unique.
Different Types Of Search Queries
Depending on the type of search query entered, different SERP features will appear after a search. The three types of search queries that are most frequently used are transactional, informational, and navigational.
Navigational Inquiries
When someone is looking for a specific website but doesn’t type the full URL, this is known as a navigational query. It can be challenging to appear on the first page of these results if the searcher is specifically looking for you. Consider purchasing ads for the keywords you want to rank for (such as your company name) to make the most of navigational queries for your website.
For instance, the search query “Growces” counts as a navigational inquiry for our digital marketing agency.
Informational Inquiries
A person submits an informational query when looking for background information on a subject or instructions for a specific task. Even though the searcher isn’t typically looking to buy, the right content can often point them in the direction of a particular company. Because of this, it’s critical to produce pertinent content that appeals to your target audience’s desires, needs, and interests. In other words you should know what is great content and write it for the audience.
Increasing your website’s multimedia content with the right digital marketing services can attract visitors looking for information. Here are a few prevalent examples to think about.
- A how-to video with references to your products
- A blog post with instructions and tips for your readers
- Sharing-friendly infographic
- A printable manual or whitepaper
Transient Inquiries
People ask transactional questions when considering a purchase, such as a specific item or something from a large category. Since transactional queries have the highest revenue potential, keywords frequently receive high bids for pay-per-click positions. That implies that users will also see pertinent paid results for their transactional queries and organic search results.
Businesses like paid ads because they work; according to research by online advertising firm WordStream, paid ads account for nearly 65% of clicks on transactional SERPs.
Features Of SERP
The SERP of today has more visual variety than it did in the past. Searches can also produce results that include images, shopping recommendations, Tweets, or information cards in addition to generic results that only show the site name and metadata. Generally, each feature belongs to one of the following categories:
Knowledge Graph Features: These can be found on the SERP in a panel or box, frequently on the right.
Rich Snippets: Rich snippets enhance results with additional images, such as product reviews with stars or news results with photos.
Paid listings: These are available through keyword bidding on pertinent terms. Paid results will have a label stating that they are advertisements at the top.
Universal results: These are distinct outcomes that coexist with natural outcomes.
A list of the features that might appear on a SERP is provided below. Consider how you can modify and reorganize your website to achieve the specific display you want for your page.
Google Ads
The top or bottom of the SERP is where Google Ads, formerly Google AdWords, frequently show up. Although getting an advertisement at the bottom of the page is simpler, you’ll get more views there.
Depending on how competitive the keywords are, getting to the top of the SERP necessitates a high-quality site and, occasionally, a high pay-per-click bid. Even though aiming for a top ad takes more work and frequently costs more money, there is one important advantage: people will see your ad before any organic search results.
Featured Snippet
The featured snippet is displayed in a box separate from the search results list on the SERP. Because it shows website content that contains relevant search terms, it attracts attention. People will be more inclined to click on that link if they find the information displayed useful.
Your top priority should be to get your site to the first page of search results because that is the prerequisite for receiving a featured snippet. In the interim, ensure your page’s educational content contains all desired keywords.
Image Pack in SERP
A row of images and a link to a Google Images search will appear on the search engine results page (SERP) when Google’s algorithm distinct that illustrated information would be particularly relevant to a search. Following these guidelines will help search engines find and rank your images, even though Google uses a different algorithm than text.
Always remember to use the following:
- Correct and informative directory labels
- Subtitles and alternate text for images
- context-appropriate encircling text A fitting and enticing page title
- A URL that’s easy to read
- Small to medium-sized, rectangular photographs
You can increase your chances of being included in the image pack next to search engine results by embedding your image on other sites.
In-depth Articles of SERP
By introducing “in-depth articles,” Google aimed to promote in-depth pieces with evergreen content. These articles may not be the most recent or cutting-edge. Still, they contain timeless knowledge and are usually written by experts or published in respected outlets.
Knowledge Card
If you search on Google, you may notice a “knowledge card” box on the SERP with additional information about your query. The search giant mines over 3.5 billion records for these details.
They’re helpful for informational queries because they return the sought-after data and related information the user might have missed. For instance, links to Matt Groening’s books and the IMDb pages of the show’s voice actors could be included in a knowledge card about the man behind The Simpsons.
Knowledge Panel
The knowledge panel is a more specific version of the knowledge card. For illustration, a navigational query for a particular eating establishment could bring up a knowledge panel detailing the establishment’s physical location, contact information, online presence, and peak business hours. Making useable content for the knowledge panel is also included in SEO services.
Local Pack
A local pack will appear when a user specifies a location in their search or if Google’s algorithm determines that the item they’re looking for is physically located near them.
Businesses relevant to the search term are displayed as pins on a map in the local pack. Google provides additional information about the highlighted establishments below the map, including a list of their names, star ratings, and contact details.
If you typed in “pharmacies,” a local pack would come up with information about the pharmacies in your area, including their addresses and phone numbers.
News in SERP
A News box will appear if a query turns up results that are relevant to the current time or recent news stories. You can add your website to Google’s News Publisher Center, whether it is a dedicated news website or simply has a news section. Accepted pages are automatically crawled by Google’s news algorithm, making the news box a fantastic traffic generator if you have the right content.
Related questions
There are numerous synonyms for each search that use slightly different terms. These are displayed by Google under the “People also ask” or “Questions related to [search term]” headings on the search engine results pages.
Clicks on “related questions” results have increased over the past few years. If you want your site to be linked to as one of the answers to a related question, it needs to be on the first page of the results for that question. At that point, you can tweak your site’s SEO to increase the likelihood that Google will use it as an answer to a “related questions” query.
Reviews
There are cases where review information, in the form of star ratings, appears on a SERP after a transactional query. It stands to reason that people are more likely to click on results that have 4 or 5 stars.
Reviews with star ratings must be displayed prominently on your site to qualify for the reviews section. Some plugins can be added to a website to encourage customer feedback through ratings and reviews.
Shopping
A large percentage of commercial queries have shopping-related SERP results. There is a high competition for these results, typically displayed at the top of the page or in the right-hand column.
Suppose you want your business to show up in the shopping results. In that case, you’ll need to bid highly enough, in addition to having high-quality images, special sales outcomes for the item, and competitive pricing.
Video
Websites with relevant embedded videos will show up in Google video search results. As with still images, your video should have a descriptive title, description, and surrounding text.
Final Words about SERP
The more you understand SERPs, your content and site design will improve. Staying current with Google’s policies is critical to keeping your site in shape. To learn more about optimizing for search, check out our blog, which contains some SEO information and tips.
