SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) everything you need to know

Search Engine Results Pages, often called SERPs, are the digital gateway to information, products, and services. Every query entered into a search engine generates a unique SERP tailored to the searcher’s intent. SERPs have evolved far beyond a simple list of blue links, from organic results and paid advertisements to dynamic features like knowledge panels and featured snippets.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the anatomy of a SERP, exploring the different types of listings and features that appear. We’ll also discuss the impact of algorithm updates, the role of search intent, and strategies for targeting SERP features to maximize your visibility. Whether new to SEO or looking to refine your approach, this guide will equip you with the insights to navigate and leverage the modern SERP effectively.

What is a SERP?

A SERP is a Search Engine Results Page. This is the page you see with the results list after searching. This is the same for any search engine, such as:

Google
Bing
Yahoo
YouTube
DuckDuckGo

The most popular search engine is Google, with a market share of 89% as of October 2024. When people refer to SERPs, they usually talk about Google and all the search features they list.

This is what we will focus on and show in this post.

Google SERP for the query 'Pocket Casts'.

The Different Listings on the SERPs

SERPs include two types of listings:

Organic listings
Paid listings

Let’s explore what they are in more detail. Starting with organic listings.

Organic Listings

Organic listings are the unpaid results that appear on SERPs.

Each search engine shows the most relevant organic listings for the query at the top of the page. This order comes from the proprietary algorithms and ranking systems. And they’re different for each search engine.

These algorithms can use factors like:

Quality content
Backlinks
Technical SEO
Keyword optimization
User experience
Schema markup
Social signals
Brand signals

It’s not possible to buy a place in organic listings. If you want to earn a spot among the top positions, you have to work for it.

Paid Listings

Paid listings are sponsored results appearing on SERPs.

These listings appear at the top of each SERP, which is the place with the highest visibility. Thus giving each paid listing a higher chance at getting clicked.

Paid listings are the primary monetization method used by search engines.

These spots get sold in real-time to the business that (almost always) bids the highest amount.

These advertisements aren’t affected by how well-optimized the page is for search engines. Because they aren’t rated by the same algorithm & ranking system as organic listings.

A Note on Algorithm Updates & How They Impact SERPs

Search engines release new algorithm updates on a regular basis. The goal of these updates is to improve how they rank pages. All so they can try to bring the best results to the top of SERPs.

These updates can change how the SERP looks in a major way. They do this by altering or introducing new criteria on how pages rank. For example, pages can have a big drop in rankings if they don’t meet the new ranking criteria.

It’s believed that Google conducts thousands of algorithm updates every year. But Google only announces some of them. These ‘Core Updates’ represent the most important changes with the highest impact.

Google rarely announces which part of the algorithm changes during updates. This is to prevent people from gaming the system.

Should You Target SERP Features?

Targeting SERP features, which we will discuss later, can significantly boost your visibility and authority. These features occupy prime positions on the SERP, often drawing more attention than standard organic links. Appearing in these features can position your content as an authoritative answer to user queries.

This tactic also allows you to align your content with search intent better. Creating concise, structured answers or optimizing for local and visual queries increases your chances of being featured. However, evaluating how specific SERP features impact your goals is essential, as some may reduce direct clicks to your site, especially for SERP features that are traditionally “zero-click,” such as knowledge panels.

To maximize your chances, use tools like Ahrefs to identify when SERP features are triggered on different keywords, make your changes, and then use a tool like SEOTesting to monitor what happens to your organic traffic when you achieve these SERP features. This way, you can better decide whether to target the same types of features in the future.

Different SERPs for Different Queries

Google shows different SERPs depending on the query type used. This is to better match search intent. This means they will rank different types of pages depending on what the user is trying to do.

Let’s look at some examples.

SERPs for Transactional Queries

Transactional queries happen immediately before a user purchases something.

Some common words included in transactional searches are:

Buy
Cheap
Price
Discount

These queries are ‘Bottom of the Funnel’ searches. And they often have paid listings due to their commercial nature.

You can also expect to see SERP features like shopping results and local packs. We will talk about these later.

SERPs for Navigational Queries

Navigational searches happen when a user searches to find a specific site.

In essence, the user is using the search engine as a middle step to reach the desired page.

Common examples of navigational queries include:

Entering the name of a specific company website
Looking for the login page of a tool
Looking for social media profiles

SERPs for Informational Queries

Informational queries are searches where the user is looking for answers.

Some common words on informational queries include:

Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

It’s normal to see search engines rank:

Blog posts
News articles
Wikipedia pages
Forum posts

For this type of search. The goal of the user is to find answers in a short space of time.

In almost all cases, informational queries include SERP features. Google does this to fulfil user intent and answer the question right there, on the SERP.

SERP Features

SERP features are specific results used by search engines.

They are used to display different types of results based on the query entered by the user. These offer better context and functionality. Functionality that is not possible to achieve with a ’10 blue links’ SERP.

In this section you will find more details about the different SERP features used by Google.

Featured Snippets & AI Overviews

A featured snippet is a box that appears at the top of a Google SERP. Its goal is to give a direct answer to the user’s query.

This SERP feature extracts the text from a webpage and shows it directly in the SERP. The extraction includes the page title and URL, like in a regular organic listing.

Featured snippets are common for informational queries and other searches where the answer is concise. An example is looking for the date of an upcoming event:

An AI Overview is a new SERP feature from Google that uses AI to generate summaries and answers to a query based on what the user types in.

Google takes this information from results on the SERPs and links it to sources within the AI Overview itself.

AI Overviews do not appear on all SERPs and are mainly triggered (at present) via informational queries. But that is not to say Google will not change this in the future. Here is a list of industries and how prevalent AI Overviews are for each industry:

Automotive (33.0%)
Technology (28.8%)
Health (18.5%)
Education (16.4%)
Finance (13.5%)
Home improvement (11%)

AI Overviews appeared for less than 15% of queries during this article’s most recent update. The data above is from BrightEdge and Semrush Sensor.

Direct Answer Box

The Direct Answer Box is a Google SERP feature that provides an immediate, concise response to a user’s query at the top of the search results page.

It aims to answer questions directly within the SERP, eliminating the need for users to click through to a website. This feature is part of Google’s effort to enhance user experience by delivering quick and accurate information.

For example, if I were to type into Google and ask when Super Bowl 2025 is, I would trigger a Direct Answer Box that gives me that information straight away:

This eliminates the need to find this information by visiting a website.

Knowledge Panels

A knowledge panel shows key information about:

People
Businesses
Events

And other entities on the right side of the SERP. It comes from Google Knowledge Graph data.

These panels can include a combination of:

Facts
Images
Related links
Related entities

All to provide more context to your search.

This SERP feature helps find concise and correct information about a topic.

In-Depth Articles

The In-Depth Articles SERP feature is a Google initiative designed to showcase high-quality, long-form content that provides comprehensive insights into a specific topic.

These articles typically appear in a dedicated section within the search results and are intended to serve users seeking detailed, authoritative information rather than quick answers.

Image Packs

An image pack is a SERP feature showing a group of images relevant to the query.

Google displays this when its algorithm thinks users would benefit from these visuals.

This SERP feature usually appears at the 1st position with a link for the users to see more on Google Images.

Local Packs

A local pack displays a map with information about a business or location related to the user’s query.

This SERP feature can show key data like:

Addresses
Business names
Opening hours
Star ratings

Google includes local packs on SERPs in specific scenarios. Usually when searching from specific locations. It can also trigger if a user searches ‘near me’ in their query.

A common example is looking for pizza places in downtown New York.

Knowledge Cards

A knowledge card is a SERP feature showing concise information about a search query.

These cards appear at the top of the page and give an immediate answer to users.

Data from these cards comes from Google’s Knowledge Graph. They display information about well-known entities like:

Significant events
Famous people
Places

This can include helpful features like:

Stock market data
Calculators
Weather information

Shopping Results

Shopping results show product listings related to the query.

This SERP feature is a paid listing. It’s not possible to appear on the listing without running Google Ads.

The shopping carousel appears at the top of the page. It contains product images, prices, and retailer information.

Thumbnails

A thumbnail is a feature where Google shows an image near each listing in the SERP.

These images usually appear in other SERP. Such as featured snippets or knowledge cards.

Tweets Box

A tweet box is a SERP feature showing posts from Twitter (X) on Google.

This usually appears when searching for a popular or trending topic.

Google tends to pull popular tweets posted recently. Providing you with real-time updates and insights on the SERP.

Video

A video preview is a SERP feature displaying relevant videos to the query.

These usually have a thumbnail showing more details about the content. And Google can even highlight the most important part of the video to watch.

Google allows users to watch these videos on the SERP by pressing the play button.

Getting Included in SERP Features

Capturing SERP features for your website is a strategic approach to attract more organic traffic and establish authority within your niche. Here are some of our top tips for optimizing your content to secure some of Google’s most popular SERP features:

Featured Snippets

Featured snippets provide concise answers to questions that users have directly on the SERP, and they’re often referred to by SEOs as “Position 0.” In order to increase your chances of being featured within Google’s Featured Snippets:

Identify SERPs with Featured Snippets: You can use Ahrefs or another tool such as Semrush to identify keywords you are ranking for that also include Featured Snippets. It will be these keywords that give you the best chance of obtaining a Featured Snippet listing.
Provide Clear and Concise Answers: Structure your content to answer these questions directly and succinctly, ideally in 40-60 words.
Use Structured Formatting: Incorporate bullet points, numbered lists, or tables to make your content easily scannable and more likely to be selected for a snippet.

AI Overviews

AI overviews provided by Google summarize authoritative and relevant information to answer user queries concisely. To increase your chances of having your website featured:

Publish Authoritative Content:
- Focus on creating well-researched, accurate, and comprehensive content.
- Demonstrate E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) by showcasing your credibility and expertise in the field.
- Link to credible, authoritative sources to enhance trustworthiness.
Answer Search Intent Thoroughly:
- Identify key user queries by using tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
- Provide direct, concise answers to complex questions.
- Organize content logically with headers, bullet points, and summaries for better readability.
Use Structured Data:
- Implement schema markup, such as FAQ, How-To, or Article schema, to help Google understand your content’s structure.
- Ensure the structured data aligns perfectly with your content to improve relevance.
Keep Content Up-to-Date:
- Regularly update older articles to ensure relevance and accuracy.
- Focus on fresh, timely content that addresses the latest trends or developments in your industry.

By implementing these strategies, you can improve your chances of appearing in AI overviews and establish your website as a trusted source of information. Just like we have done for a few of our target keywords: