Google SERP: What It Is and How It Works
The Internet has evolved since then, and user behavior has evolved along with it. But what is Google SERP and what exactly does it mean? Let’s start with a definition.
SERP: Meaning, Definition, How It Works
SERP is an acronym that stands for “search engine result page.” In short, it’s the results page that users land on after searching for something on Google.
Depending on the query, this page can contain a mix of features, including videos, images, news articles, products, traditional websites, or even specific answers.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect to see from Google SERPs in 2022.
Evolution of Google SERP
Those simple search engine results pages in 1998 got a little more complicated when Google introduced AdWords in 2000. That’s when the SERP adopted its now-familiar layout: ads at the top, followed by organic listings.
AdWords was initially only available to 350 advertisers. Now, ads are a staple of SERPs. And Alphabet (Google’s holding company) happily profits from those ads. Here’s a simple timeline of the search engine results page:
- Image search came onto the scene in 2001.
- YouTube took online video by storm in 2005.
- Google introduced universal search in 2007. This feature combined local packs, related searches, images, videos, news, etc. into the main search results.
- In 2012, Google introduced the Knowledge Graph, a SERP feature that collected information on popular topics and presented the results at the top of the SERPs.
- In 2016, the right-hand rail ads disappeared.
You could say that the Google SERP is no longer just a search engine. It is a standalone website.
The Biggest Changes to the Google SERP
The 2022 SERPs have not undergone much change since the 2012 SERP. The biggest change implemented is the so-called “Zero Results”.
Selling in SERPs
Depending on the industry or topic, Google is evolving into a sales facilitator, not just a search engine. Its goal is to insert itself into the sales process and keep the searcher on Google properties until the final checkout.
Take hotels for example.
Want to book a hotel or a resort Sicily? Google SERP now provides you with a widget to book your room. It also allows you to filter the results directly in the SERP! Enter the dates. Sort by correspondence best, lowest price, or highest rating. Indicate the number of guests. Specify your preference for guest rating or hotel class (or both).
If you prefer to bring your dog, let Google know. Maybe you need free parking? No problem. How about a kid-friendly hotel? Yes, designate that too.
Want to search for your stay directly on maps? No problem, just click on the map listed in the SERP. Review your options until you find the exact hotel, room, price, location, and amenities you’re looking for.
Then click the “Book a Room” call-to-action button.
While the final checkout may be on the actual hotel domain, 90% of the process happens in the Google SERP. Sometimes you can book your accommodations in the Google environment as well.
Google SERP Features
Google SERP Layout
There hasn’t been a “standard” layout for Google SERPs for a while now. Instead, the layout you see changes based on the search you do. Google will decide which of its features will be most useful for your search and present you with a combination of those.
This can result in Google generating zero results, related questions, seeing results about, tweets, carousels, shopping results, or knowledge panels. It can produce AMP pages or local listings.
The SERP, in essence, is highly variable as your search query changes.
The Zero-Click SERP and Zero Results
Many of these elements are designed to provide users with the answers they need as quickly as possible. For example, Google presents you with a zero result when you type the following queries:
- Wondering what the current temperature is?
- Wanting to know what 500x750 is?
- Curious about how old your favorite celebrity is?
But why is Google so obsessed with zero-click searches?
Sure, there’s the simple fact that not clicking on Google is better for Google’s bottom line. But behind the more cynical explanation is a genuine concern for user experience.
Google’s success as a company depends on providing the most accurate and intuitive experience possible for searchers. Historically, that meant presenting users with the best list of web pages for their queries.
But over the years, Google has discovered that people always ask simple questions, like “How old is Queen Elizabeth?” In that case, it would be a pretty bad experience to send someone to a random web page to read an entire biography just to find the answer.
The best experience is to simply extract the answer and show it to the user.
For some definition searches, you don’t even have to actually search. Google’s autocomplete includes the definition in the query bar before you hit enter.
So there’s a rationale for the zero-click madness. If it didn’t work for the user, you can bet Google would stop doing it.
Featured Snippet
The answer box and knowledge panel are both examples of featured snippets: a prominent piece of information that appears at the top of search results and contains a link to a website (or websites) to learn more. And rather than viewing featured snippets as their traffic-hogging rivals, most SEO strategists see them as the creme de la creme: the elusive “position zero” in search results.
And while the answer box and knowledge panel may rely heavily on verified sources like Wikipedia, other types of featured snippets will pull information from the website that presents it in the most organized, optimized, and reliable way. Virtually any form of useful content is fair game, from how-tos to in-depth definitions and explanations to “best of” product lists.
Rich Snippet
Whether or not it contains a featured snippet, almost every Google SERP layout includes the familiar list of ten organic results. Within this list, a rich result is anything beyond the standard blue website link. This can be as simple as a website link with several links to internal pages nested underneath. Or it can include reviews, carousels, or any number of additional features that use structured data markup.
The best part is that you can often get rich snippets simply by adding structured data markup to your code. However, it’s worth noting that structured data is not a ranking factor. However, it can help your listings stand out, so it’s worth implementing in most cases.
That said, there’s a long and growing list of structured data options, and adding one to your site will be a waste of time. Having the markup in place doesn’t guarantee that Google will actually use it. Look at the SERPs for your priority keywords and note the types of rich results that appear most often or that would logically appear for search. Focus on those. And follow Google’s structured data guidelines.
Organic Search Results
By definition, organic results are really anything in the SERP that isn’t a paid ad. However, when most SEOs refer to organic search results, they mean the list of 6-10 blue links.
After the January 2020 major update, the mobile and desktop SERPs look very similar. Each organic listing now consists of a Favicon followed by a breadcrumb trail. The page title appears on the next line, then the meta description.
Top Stories
Is your search topic newsworthy? Then be prepared to see some Top Stories included in your results. These are stories from (mostly) trusted sites that are 100% algorithmic in nature, based primarily on keywords, timeliness, and publisher/article popularity. While blog posts and AMP pages sometimes make their way into Top Stories, the best way to earn one of these spots is to actually be a publisher or media site. Other than that, ask them to talk about you or your products.
Video and Image Results
If Google deems it useful, they will include video results (thumbnails, with a link to the video) and image results (a collection of images pulled from Google Images, with a link to see more). Struggling to crack the first page of Google for a hyper-competitive keyword? Then, optimized video and images could be your ticket in.
Twitter Results
If a search query returns Top Stories, there’s a good chance it will also return Top Tweets. After all, social media often reflects trending topics. Like their news counterparts, Top Tweets are extracted using a simple search algorithm: keyword or hashtag, recency, popularity.
Sitelinks
Sitelinks are a form of structured data markup that allows your website to display internal or organizational pages below the home page in SERPs. These typically appear for branded searches. However, you can optimize for them by using skip links (or anchor links) marked with navigational html.
“People Also Ask”
Sometimes Google will encourage you to dig deeper into your search by providing a list of related queries to your results. If you like meta examples, here are the “People Also Ask” results included in the search query “people also ask Google:” Because of this element’s ability to expand on a topic, it’s a great place to look if you’re looking for keyword or content ideas.
Local Search Results
Local SEO isn’t just for local businesses. It’s also used by larger companies with physical locations nearby. And when Google thinks you’re looking for a business near you, the SERP layout looks very different.
Google Reviews
There are two main types of reviews that can appear in SERPs: Google reviews and structured reviews. Structured reviews appear as part of your website’s search results and can include star ratings for products, recipes, and more.
Google Reviews are Google’s answer to Yelp and will appear independently of any information pulled directly from the website. As you would expect, these only appear for physical locations.
Local Three Pack
Also called the 3-pack or “Local Three Pack,” the Local Pack features a prominent map with three local businesses that fit the searcher’s needs. Unless your business is in a small town and/or a niche industry, competition to get into the 3-pack can be fierce. Include as much relevant information as possible on your Google My Business profile and solicit those reviews!
Related Searches
The related search queries at the bottom of the page are an incredible source of data to power up your keyword research. You may discover alternate phrases or overlapping topics that you hadn’t considered. If Google goes out of its way to show them to you, they probably matter!
Paid Search Results
Finally, we have the old staples: paid results. These include PPC ads and PLA (Product Listing Ads, also known as Google Shopping feeds). Google ads can appear above or below the results, but will only allow up to four ads above the organic search results.
Conclusion
What do you get out of owning a featured snippet? From being included in the local three pack? From providing the definitive answer to a user’s question? Or from dominating the SERP real estate – standard organic listings, Google news, video, Twitter, and images – for a high-priority search term?
The answer is that you’ll increase your website traffic, ergo, the possibility of increasing your revenue.
Google will never provide complex information, instructions, or in-depth articles within the SERP because that would be a terrible user experience. If you want to comparison shop, you’ll have to visit multiple websites (Google Shopping has many limitations). If you want to look closely at something, read beyond the news headline, or watch a video, you’ll have to click.
So Google SERP is a platform, not a limitation.
But optimizing for SERP is different from SEO optimization of your website and you need a holistic approach to be successful. Don’t waste too much SEO resources on queries without clicks. Contact our team to get real results!
