What is SERP & why does your business want it?
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It is an outlined box at the top of a Google search query that provides summarized information requested by a user. The Google Search Algorithm finds the most relevant content to a search query and highlights the information from a specific website in an SERP the answer or appropriate response. The information in an SERP links to the site it derives from. Having your site used for an SERP means Google deems the website reputable enough to provide it as the go to answer for that search query.
There are quite a few different types of SERPs that you may see on any given search query:
Featured Snippet: provides the essential information, typically in the form of a list
Image Pack: provides a brief gallery of images related to the search query before the list of links.
Knowledge Card: contains direct information pulled from a source. Therefore the user doesn’t have to search for the information further inside of a link
Knowledge Panel: similar to a knowledge card, but featured on the right side of the search page. Data that is input by human resources and summarizes information about a topic
Local Pack: a pack of about three suitable places that Google will list out for your search query. It will pull from your current location unless specified otherwise. This is most often used on mobile devices, so therefore are looking to access the information as quickly as possible
Reviews: typically shown within the local pack snippet, the reviews are shown too. On Google it is from Google Reviews, on other platforms it can be from Yelp.
Related questions: questions that the search engine finds to be relative to the original topic searched
Site Links: if a search result will showcase the top site for the subject the search engine will showcase a menu of their site with up to ten links.
Video: Top results can be pulled from YouTube to appear at the top of a search page.
To have your site listed on an SERP upon a search query can be very impactful. This means that your website is seen by Google, or other search engines, as a very useful site and will direct users there. This is why businesses want to be in an SERP, because it equates to more site traffic, which can mean more customers to your business!
Bottom line- it’s best to have your website structure well organized and provide good quality information that users will find helpful.
