When we talk to clients about SEO, a lot of the time we talk about search engine results pages (SERPs) as these are really important. These pages list the results that are returned when someone searches for anything using a search engine, such as Google.

These results pages are valuable as they influence the amount of traffic your website sees, and therefore the long-term success of your business – so our goal with any SEO campaign is to get your website ranked as high as we can on these pages.

In this post, we will walk you through what you need to know about SERPs, in particular why they are so important and what some of their common features are.

Why are SERPs important?

The SERPs (search engine result pages) are the pages that people see when they perform a search using a search engine such as Google. These pages rank web pages in terms of relevancy to the search, according to the search engine algorithm’s understanding of their usefulness and relevance to the search.

Google processes over 40,000 search queries per second, on average, which translates to about 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches a year. Pair this with the fact that the average click-through rate for the first position of Google is 28.5% then you start to understand why our aim is to get you ranking as high as possible on the SERPs.

How many results do the SERPs tend to show?

Search engines typically rank thousands of websites for a particular keyword query, but only 10 organic results will appear on the first page – and nowadays there could be fewer than 10 organic search results on the first page (but more on that later).

With such limited ‘real-estate’ available on the first page, therefore, it is vital that we work together to make your site not only user-friendly and informative but able to answer relevant queries effectively as well.

What are some common SERP features?

Search engines, especially Google, have worked hard at improving their ability to understand search queries and the intent behind them in recent years. They have also developed various features on their SERPs that they think searchers will find helpful and interesting.

The features that appear on the SERPs, however, will change depending on what the search engine believes is the user intent behind the search, and also what device the user is searching on (desktop or mobile). Not all SERP features will be relevant to your keywords or the content you are trying to rank for either.

Some of the most common SERP features on desktops are:

#Featured Snippet

This is also known as an answer box. Google highlights a portion of text from a website in order to provide a concise and direct answer to the search query. Google believes this feature is useful when someone wants a direct answer to a question and doesn’t need any more in-depth information.

#Knowledge Card

The knowledge card offers a short, direct answer to a question that a searcher has asked. This saves the searcher time if they want to know a simple answer such as how far away something is or what year a prime minister was elected.

#Knowledge Panel

Google uses the knowledge panel to provide the searcher with a quick overview of particular places, people or things, and these panels will often include a brief overview of the topic in question, significant dates and some images.

Since Google was launched in 1998 it has gathered a huge amount of information from the millions of searches that are performed on it each day, and so it has started to connect these through the use of a knowledge graph. The knowledge panel uses the knowledge graph to help it to produce its results.

The information provided in a knowledge graph also allows searchers to get the basic information they need about their search, without having to click through to a website.

knowledge panel about Queen Elizabeth II

 #Image Pack

Google will display relevant image thumbnails at the top of the SERPs for certain queries, which can help users to find the relevant information they need if an image is the best way to answer their query.

We use structured data markup to help Google understand the images on your website and display them (where appropriate).

image pack about Alderley park

#Top Stories

Top stories have an essential role to play when people are looking for more information about breaking news or an important event. Google will provide them with a carousel of news stories, as well as telling them when the story was published and who by.

top stories about COVID-19 vaccine

#People Also Ask

People also ask results are related to questions that Google automatically generates based on queries it believes are related to the question that the searcher has asked. The questions in the ‘people also ask’ box are connected to answers that searchers can then click on to read more, helping them to understand more about their question without having to leave the SERP.

people also ask about covid-19 vaccine

#Sitelinks

Sitelinks are the links that Google features underneath the main URL for a domain when it wants searchers to be able to quickly navigate to a particular part of a website.

For example, if someone is searching for a bank, then the sitelinks Google displays will offer shortcuts to pages such as online banking or contacting the bank.

#Related Searches

Google also provides users with a ‘related searches’ area at the bottom of the first SERP, which can help to prompt other searches that are related to their initial search. Google sees these as a way of helping you find the information you need if you don’t instantly find the answer you seek.

related searches covid-19 vaccines

#Shopping Results

If Google detects that the intent behind your search is to buy something, then it will display a carousel featuring products available for purchase as well as shopping ads from eCommerce sites. This allows searchers to browse available products without having to conduct additional searches.

#Reviews

This feature should be self-explanatory, it is a rating system that is displayed under the search result and is usually found for places or products.

reviews on strip curtains direct

 

As you can see it is really important to have a well-optimised website that not only encourages users to click through but also engages them. That’s where Zool comes in. As a full-service agency, we can help you to create a website that attracts your target audience’s attention as well as improving your digital marketing efforts to ensure you reach your SEO goals.

A beginner’s guide to desktop search engine results pages (SERPS)

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When we talk to clients about SEO, a lot of the time we talk about search engine results pages (SERPs) as these are really important. These pages list the results that are returned when someone searches for anything using a search engine, such as Google.

These results pages are valuable as they influence the amount of traffic your website sees, and therefore the long-term success of your business – so our goal with any SEO campaign is to get your website ranked as high as we can on these pages.

In this post, we will walk you through what you need to know about SERPs, in particular why they are so important and what some of their common features are.

Why are SERPs important?

The SERPs (search engine result pages) are the pages that people see when they perform a search using a search engine such as Google. These pages rank web pages in terms of relevancy to the search, according to the search engine algorithm’s understanding of their usefulness and relevance to the search.

Google processes over 40,000 search queries per second, on average, which translates to about 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches a year. Pair this with the fact that the average click-through rate for the first position of Google is 28.5% then you start to understand why our aim is to get you ranking as high as possible on the SERPs.

How many results do the SERPs tend to show?

Search engines typically rank thousands of websites for a particular keyword query, but only 10 organic results will appear on the first page – and nowadays there could be fewer than 10 organic search results on the first page (but more on that later).

With such limited ‘real-estate’ available on the first page, therefore, it is vital that we work together to make your site not only user-friendly and informative but able to answer relevant queries effectively as well.

What are some common SERP features?

Search engines, especially Google, have worked hard at improving their ability to understand search queries and the intent behind them in recent years. They have also developed various features on their SERPs that they think searchers will find helpful and interesting.

The features that appear on the SERPs, however, will change depending on what the search engine believes is the user intent behind the search, and also what device the user is searching on (desktop or mobile). Not all SERP features will be relevant to your keywords or the content you are trying to rank for either.

Some of the most common SERP features on desktops are:

#Featured Snippet

This is also known as an answer box. Google highlights a portion of text from a website in order to provide a concise and direct answer to the search query. Google believes this feature is useful when someone wants a direct answer to a question and doesn’t need any more in-depth information.

#Knowledge Card

The knowledge card offers a short, direct answer to a question that a searcher has asked. This saves the searcher time if they want to know a simple answer such as how far away something is or what year a prime minister was elected.

#Knowledge Panel

Google uses the knowledge panel to provide the searcher with a quick overview of particular places, people or things, and these panels will often include a brief overview of the topic in question, significant dates and some images.

Since Google was launched in 1998 it has gathered a huge amount of information from the millions of searches that are performed on it each day, and so it has started to connect these through the use of a knowledge graph. The knowledge panel uses the knowledge graph to help it to produce its results.

The information provided in a knowledge graph also allows searchers to get the basic information they need about their search, without having to click through to a website.

knowledge panel about Queen Elizabeth II

 #Image Pack

Google will display relevant image thumbnails at the top of the SERPs for certain queries, which can help users to find the relevant information they need if an image is the best way to answer their query.

We use structured data markup to help Google understand the images on your website and display them (where appropriate).

image pack about Alderley park

#Top Stories

Top stories have an essential role to play when people are looking for more information about breaking news or an important event. Google will provide them with a carousel of news stories, as well as telling them when the story was published and who by.

top stories about COVID-19 vaccine

#People Also Ask

People also ask results are related to questions that Google automatically generates based on queries it believes are related to the question that the searcher has asked. The questions in the ‘people also ask’ box are connected to answers that searchers can then click on to read more, helping them to understand more about their question without having to leave the SERP.

people also ask about covid-19 vaccine

#Sitelinks

Sitelinks are the links that Google features underneath the main URL for a domain when it wants searchers to be able to quickly navigate to a particular part of a website.

For example, if someone is searching for a bank, then the sitelinks Google displays will offer shortcuts to pages such as online banking or contacting the bank.

#Related Searches

Google also provides users with a ‘related searches’ area at the bottom of the first SERP, which can help to prompt other searches that are related to their initial search. Google sees these as a way of helping you find the information you need if you don’t instantly find the answer you seek.

related searches covid-19 vaccines

#Shopping Results

If Google detects that the intent behind your search is to buy something, then it will display a carousel featuring products available for purchase as well as shopping ads from eCommerce sites. This allows searchers to browse available products without having to conduct additional searches.

#Reviews

This feature should be self-explanatory, it is a rating system that is displayed under the search result and is usually found for places or products.

reviews on strip curtains direct

 

As you can see it is really important to have a well-optimised website that not only encourages users to click through but also engages them. That’s where Zool comes in. As a full-service agency, we can help you to create a website that attracts your target audience’s attention as well as improving your digital marketing efforts to ensure you reach your SEO goals.