SERP stands for Search Engine Results Pages. When a person searches for something using a search engine such as Google, the resulting web pages served to them is a SERP. The SERP uses keywords, in the form of specific terms and phrases.
SERPs are always unique, even if the same keywords are used in the same search engine. This is because the SERP results are not only based on those keywords. The search results are determined by a lot of other factors as well. Some of them may be the location or browser history.
The SERP provides us with various advantages. It aims at helping the user find answers to questions or information about certain topics. It is quick and easy to use when looking for a solution to any problem.
There are three main components of SERP. These are the organic search results, queries, and advertisements. Some enhanced results may be present with major search engines like Google. These may be rich snippets, images, maps, definitions, answer boxes, videos, suggested search refinements, etc. These are termed as rich features and one of these is very likely to be a part of the search result. Here are some of the components of SERP explained below:
Components of Google SERP
1. Search query
This is the string of words typed by the person on the search engine. The search is based on the keywords that the user feeds in. Search queries are no longer based on just spellings. It is about matching ideas, more than just matching mere words.
2. Organic results
These are the natural list of results generated by the search engine. It is based on a series of metrics that determine their relevance to the searched term. These results are usually determined by several factors. Some of these factors are the quality and relevance of the content, expertise, and authoritativeness. It may also depend on the trustworthiness of the website and the author on a given topic, good user experience, etc.
3. Sponsored results
The majority of the search engine results display the sponsored results. These are paid advertisements. These appear at the top of your results. Again these appear based on the keywords the user typed.
4. Rich snippets
When a website contains content in structured data markup, rich snippets will be displayed in the results. It helps Google to index as well as understand the content better. There are a lot of rich snippets that Google uses. Some of these are information regarding a product’s pricing, reviews, and availability. One can also find recipes, videos, reviews of restaurants, information about concerts, art festivals, etc. Rich snippets can also be in the form of news articles, science datasets, and content related to jobs. Information about a software application, including its URL, review ratings, and price may also be included.
5. Featured snippets
This describes the summary of an answer to any user’s query. This appears at the top of the organic results. It may be in the form of a paragraph snippet, number snippet, table snippet, or simply a video. The featured snippet may also occur using a combination of these.
