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What is SERP: Everything You Need to Know

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page, aka the page that you see when you search for something on a search engine like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.

The SERP includes a list of websites with the answers that the search engine, be it Google or Bing, has determined are relevant to your search query

The SERP is important because it’s how most people find websites.

You likely found this site the same way.

So, if your website doesn’t rank well on the SERP, then it’s unlikely that a lot of people will find it.

That’s why it’s important to improve SERP rankings by optimizing your website for what makes the search engine results page work, algorithms.

Algorithms in this context refer to the complex sets of rules and calculations that search engines use to determine which websites are displayed and in what order on the SERP.

How a SERP Works

Search engines use a variety of factors to determine which websites to rank.

These factors may include:

1. The relevance of the website content to the search query

The search engine will look at the website’s content for that keyword or search query to see how well it matches the user search intent.

2. The E-E-A-T of the website

The search engine will also look at the authority of the website.

And Google for instance, according to their publication, the Quality Ratter Guideline E-E-A-T, on the Google Search Central Blog, goes further than that.

The authority of a website in the hair days of the internet may have been based on just the site’s domain authority or domain rating.

But not anymore with E-E-A-T:

  • E: Experience
  • E: Expertise
  • A: Authoritativeness
  • T: Trustworthiness

So what that means is that besides factors such as the quality of the website’s content, the number of backlinks to the website, and the website’s age.

E-E-A-T, formerly E-A-T, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, which is used in how Google evaluates if the search ranking systems behind every SERP are providing helpful, relevant information.

Now, contents that will be ranked will also have to demonstrate that the brain behind it has some degree of experience.

So, if a product reviews, content needs to reflect the actual use of that product.

Or if a place, ranked content is aimed to be that of someone who has first-hand life experience of the place.

3. The user experience of the website

The search engine will also consider the user experience of the website.

This includes factors such as the website’s loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and ease of use.

Components of a SERP

The components of the Google SERP vary depending on the type of search query, but some of the most common components include:

1. Paid search results

These are the paid results that advertisers have paid to display at the top of the search results.

Paid search results are typically labeled as “Ads” on different search engines.

2. Organic search results

These are the unpaid results that Google or another search engine has determined to be the most relevant to the search query.

Organic search results are typically displayed in a list, with the most relevant results at the top.

They usually come after the paid results.

Featured snippets are short excerpts of text from a website that are displayed at the top of the SERP.

Featured snippets are designed to provide users with a quick answer to their search query.

4. Knowledge Graph

The Knowledge Graph is a knowledge base that Google uses to provide information about people, places, things, and events.

The Knowledge Graph is often displayed on the right-hand side of the SERP, and it can include information such as images, biographies, and maps.

5. Local search results

Local search results are displayed when there is a search for a query that is related to a specific location.

For example, if you search for “restaurants near me,” Google will display a list of restaurants that are located near your current location.

The devices’ location is what is used for filtering the results which can affect the accuracy.

6. Image search results

Image search results are displayed when you search for a query that is related to an image or images.

For example, if you search for “cats,” Google will display a list of images of cats.

Also, if you append .png, .jpeg, or any other image format, the resulting page will have images.

7. Video search results

Video search results are displayed when you search for a query that is related to videos.

For example, if you search for “how to make a cake,” Google will display a list of videos that show how to make a cake.

In addition to these common components, the Google SERP can also include other features, such as:

Related searches are displayed at the bottom of the and within the body of the search engine result page, suggesting other search queries that other people searching for a similar thing used and might likely help you too.

9. Shopping results

Shopping results are displayed when you search for a query that is related to a product or service.

For example, if you search for “new iPhone,” Google will display a list of shopping results for the latest iPhone at the moment.

10. News results

News results are displayed when you search for a query that is related to a current event.

For example, if you search for “Tech Startup acquisition,” Google will display a list of news results about the same.

Different search engines such as Google, are constantly adding new features to the SERP for searchers to get the most out of their search experience.

This means there will be a mixture of these components on the default SERP tab.

Then there will be a host of dedicated tabs for all the different types of search results returned for a search query by a user.

What Is Ranking on the SERP

Ranking on the search engine result page is when your resource or content makes it to any part of the SERP returned for a search query.

A resource here can mean a video, infographic, image, blog post, etc.

What Is Ranking on the First Page of Google SERP

Ranking on the first page of Google means that your website appears in the top 10 results for a given search query.

This is the most visible page on the SERP.

What Is Ranking #1 on Google’s SERP

Ranking #1 on Google for a given search query means that your website appears, not just on the first page of the Google results page, but the top of of the top 10.

This is the most visible position on the SERP, and it can lead to a significant increase in traffic to your website.

Several factors contribute to a website’s ranking on the SERP, including

  • the quality and relevance of the website’s content,
  • the number and quality of backlinks to the website, and
  • the website’s technical infrastructure.

While there is no guaranteed way to rank #1 on Google, coupled with Google’s algorithms constantly changing, and other websites working even harder to improve their rankings as well,

… We have written extensively on all the factors that significantly increase your odds of ranking on Google:

If you can rank #1 on Google for a relevant search query, it can have several benefits for your business, including:

  • Increased traffic to your website
  • More leads and sales
  • Improved brand awareness
  • Increased credibility and authority

If you think you’ve got what it takes, ranking #1 on Google is a challenging but achievable goal.

Conclustion

Here are facts that may interest you about search engine result pages and how they work:

  • SERPs are constantly changing.
  • SERPs are different for different languages.
  • SERPs are different for different devices.

Lastly, Google SERPs are heavily personalized.

This means that the results that you see when you search for a query are often different from the results that anyone else sees.

Google takes into account many factors when personalizing SERPs, including your search history, location, and device.

For example, if you have searched for “hotels in Paris” in the past, Google is more likely to rank hotels in Paris higher in the SERPs when you search for just “hotels.”

Google may also rank hotels in your current location higher in the SERPs.

Google’s personalization of SERPs can be helpful, but it is important to be aware of it.

When performing a search on Google, if you do not see the results that you want, try clearing your search history, using a VPN, or using a different device.

By understanding what is SERPs and how it works, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in the SERPs as a blogger or website owner.

And also start finding the information that you need faster than ever.

Written By
CID

CID is a Software Engineer cum Digital Marketer. He launched Auditorical in 2018, a platform that empowers creators, agencies, and businesses with tools, software reviews and informational resources to create, distribute, and monetize content.

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