SERP, or search engine results page, is the page that displays the results of a user's search query. The main features of SERP are the organic and paid search results. The organic search results are the listings that appear due to the website's ranking in the search engine results. The paid search results are the advertisements purchased by businesses to have their website listed above the organic search results.
Why SERPs Matter for SEO
There are three primary ways to affect your website's position in SERPs: optimizing your website and its content, building links to your website, and buying ads. Search engines use a variety of factors to determine which websites appear first on their results pages. These factors include the relevance of a website's content to the keyword being searched, how often that site is linked to other websites. The better your website performs in all areas, the higher it will rank in SERPs. Conversely, if your website lacks any of these areas, it will likely have a lower ranking.
How to use Seobase SERP Checker
SERP Checker is a keyword ranking checker tool that helps you get Google search engine rankings for your website. The SERP Checker tool helps users to analyze and compare the strengths and weaknesses of your website to your competitors, evaluate positions on SERP, detect Google SERP features that influence the organic search results. You can run searches by location, which means that it is possible to locate your domain and see how well it performs in different cities or even countries worldwide. Here is a step-by-step process on how to use it.
Step 1: Enter the Keyword You Want to Track
The first thing you need to do when you want to use the SERP checker tool is to enter the keyword you want to track. This can be any word or phrase related to your website or business.
Step 2: Choose Your Location
You then need to choose your location. You have the option of tracking results globally, nationally, or locally.
Step 3: Check Your Rankings
After choosing your location, you will then check your rankings. The SERP Checker will show you where you rank on Google for the specific keyword you are tracking. It also provides additional data, such as how much traffic each position generates and how difficult it would be to rank in that spot. The SERP checker is one of the essential SEO tools for understanding how you rank on Google and what you can do to improve your position. It also helps you know how competitive a keyword is and how you can increase your website ranking.
The Most Popular SERP Features
SERP features are boxes displayed on the results page. It can be either above, below, or alongside organic search results. Search engines use these features to provide users with more information related to their queries and intent. For example, if you are looking for a restaurant's menu, you will find it in the SERP featured snippet box without clicking any links listed in your search query results. There is no limitation on how many SERP features Google may show per page, but as a rule of thumb; don't expect more than two (one at most) SERPs feature for each keyword/search term that appears at the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs). Here we list some popular types.
1. Ads at the Top and Bottom of the Page
If you are looking for Adwords ad results, they will be displayed at the top and bottom of the page. This feature is also known as Paid Ads or Sponsored Links. The placement of these ads can vary depending on how much advertisers are willing to pay and other factors such as geographical targeting and device type (PCs vs. mobiles). Generally, there are three types of paid ads:
- Text Ads: These usually occupy one line and appear above or below organic search results.
- Image Ads: Also called rich media ads, they consist of a graphical image with a link to the advertiser's website. They often take up more space than text ads.
- Shopping Ads: These ads appear at the top of the SERP and allow users to compare prices and buy products directly from the ad.
2. Image Pack
An image pack is a feature that displays images related to the user's search query. Google often uses this feature to show users pictures of people, places, and things related to their searches. The number of images shown in an image pack can vary, but there are usually around five or six images per pack. If you want your website to appear in the image packs, you will need to add structured data markup to your web pages. You can use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to check if your pages have been correctly marked up. Once verified, it may take some time for Googlebot (the crawler that indexes websites) to re-crawl your pages and apply any changes you've made. It is also worth noting that image packs are different from Google Images, which you can access by clicking on the image link at the top of a SERP. If an image pack feature has been set up for your website, it will appear in both places, but only if people search for terms related to what you offer or sell.
3. Featured Snippet
The featured snippet is a box that appears at the top of the SERP and provides users with information related to their queries. This feature can be in text, images, or videos. The content format in the featured snippet box changes depending on the type of query made. Still, it usually contains a brief introduction followed by a list of relevant websites. If you want your website to appear as a featured snippet, you will need to ensure that your web pages are well-optimized for SEO and contain answer boxes (also known as "rich snippets").
4. Knowledge Panel
The knowledge panel is a box that appears on the right-hand side of the SERP and provides users with information related to their queries. This feature can be in text, images, or videos. The content format changes depending on what type of query is being made but usually contains a brief introduction followed by the listing of relevant websites. If you want your website to appear as a knowledge panel, you will need to ensure that web pages are well-optimized SEO contain answer boxes (also known as "rich snippets").
5. Shopping Results
The shopping results are a feature that displays the latest prices and availability of products related to the user's search query. This feature is often found at the top of the SERP and contains product images, prices, and other information such as ratings and reviews. If you want your website to appear in the shopping results, you must add structured data markup to your web pages. You can use Google's Structured Data Testing Tools for SEO or the Rich Results Test tool from SEOChat to check if your pages have been correctly marked up. Once verified, it may take some time for Googlebot (the crawler that indexes websites) to re-crawl your pages and apply any changes you've made. It is also worth noting that the shopping results are different from Google Shopping, which you can access by clicking on the image link at the top of a SERP.
6. Related Questions
The related questions are a feature that displays questions related to the user's search query. The Related Questions card displays algorithmically-generated questions that Google thinks are relevant to your query. The display of questions in the search box is increasingly similar to a Featured Snippet. Related Questions are blended in with organic results and may appear in different parts of the SERP.
7. News Box
The News Box is a feature that displays news articles related to the user's search query. This feature appears at the top of SERPs as a carousel and contains headlines, images, and other information such as dates and publishers. If you want your website to appear in the news box, you need to ensure your content is marked up with proper HTML tags. Google will show up to five stories from different sources on its first page for each query. Each story source has an individual link which can be found by clicking on their name underneath their title text (e-g, "CNN").
Voice Search & Google SERP
Voice assistants are the future of online searches. This was made clear in 2017 when voice search surpassed text searches for the first time. Since then, Google SERP has optimized its results pages to accommodate traditional and voice-based queries. Voice search is impacting the SERPs in a few different ways:
- First, featured snippets are becoming more and more common as voice assistants prioritize concise answers to questions.
- Second, traditional search results are being pushed down the page favor answer boxes and other interactive features.
- Third, Google is beginning to experiment with new SERP layouts better suited for voice searches.
Bonus content: What is a knowledge graph, and which results does it provide?
A knowledge graph is a semantic database that stores information about entities and their relationships. It can be used to provide results for questions like "What are the major airports in California?" or "How many calories are in an apple?" The main difference between a knowledge graph and a regular search engine is that it understands concepts and their relationships, whereas a normal search engine looks at individual words. Google's Knowledge Graph was introduced in 2012 and has been growing ever since. It currently includes over 570 million objects and 18 billion facts about those objects. In addition to providing answers to questions, you can also use it to improve your search results.
Bottomline
Businesses need to consider ranking on SERPs and utilizing tools for SEO or a unique SEO toolset like seobase because it is one of the most important parts to consider in their digital marketing strategy. It is also essential to ensure that your website is secure and has an SSL security certificate. This will make your visitors trust you with their information and make sure they feel safe doing business with you online.
