Definition: SERP

SERP (search engine results page) – that is, a search engine results page. It is a page that displays a user’s query (keywords) in a specific order on Google, Bing or Yahoo search engine. The SERP displays the results that most closely match the intent of the search term.

How does a search engine results page look like?

SERP result has a page title and url.

Examples of SERPs from Google

Example SERPs from Google search – ads and organic results:

Organic results and snippets:

What kind of search results can Google’s SERP provide?

Google tries to match the relevance of the search for given keywords. Therefore, depending on the phrase, the search results page may have different elements, such as:

• organic search results – that is, free search results, which include the most relevant search engine to the user (not counting paid ads). In order for the url of a particular page to be displayed in the SERP, it is important to take into account Google’s guidelines for optimizing the page. Some examples of ranking factors for Google SERPs are backlinks, page load speed and page structure, and many others.
• PPC ads (paid results) – they appear at the top of search results, preceding organic search results. In order to appear in this place of the search engine, you need to pay for such an ad. Then it appears with the notation sponsored or advertising.
• company business cards – for keyword phrases related to a local search, they can display a map with nearby companies that respond to the user’s query.
• Highlighted snippets – are short answers in SERP results, which usually appear in the form of a list, table, definition.
• The rest of the SERP elements – depending on the query, SERP search results pages may also contain many other elements, such as images, videos, news, answers to questions (People Also Ask), knowledge boxes (knowledge graphs), reviews, and many others.

Does a SERP matter for SEO?

SERP is very important for SEO. Here are some reasons:

• in SEO, the highest ranking in the SERPs matters – then they gain the most user attention and clicks on a given url
• analyzing the results on the SERP helps you understand what users are looking for and what content and pages are considered relevant by search engine algorithms,
• monitoring a site’s position on the SERP allows you to assess the effectiveness of your SEO efforts and adjust your strategy to meet changing trends and standards.