Search engines are constantly scanning and indexing millions of websites and evaluating countless factors to calculate the most relevant websites to return for the specific keywords for which a user is searching.
When returning results on a SERP, search engines factor in the “relevance”and “authority”of each website to determine which sites are the most helpful and useful for the searcher.
In an attempt to provide the most relevant results, the exact same search by different users may result in different SERPs, depending on the type of query.
There are millions of pages on the web, but none are more important to digital marketers than search engine results pages, or SERPs.
Search Engine Results Pages: What They Are and How They Work
Search engine results pages are web pages served to users when they search for something online using a search engine, such as Google. The user enters their search query (often using specific terms and phrases known as keywords), upon which the search engine presents them with a SERP.
Every SERP is unique, even for search queries performed on the same search engine using the same keywords or search queries.
This is because virtually all search engines customize the experience for their users by presenting results based on a wide range of factors beyond their search terms, such as the user’s physical location, browsing history, and social settings.
Two SERPs may appear identical, and contain many of the same results, but will often feature subtle differences.
The appearance of search engine results pages is constantly in flux due to experiments conducted by Google, Bing, and other search engine providers to offer their users a more intuitive, responsive experience.
This, combined with emerging and rapidly developing technologies in the search space, means that the SERPs of today differ greatly in appearance from their predecessors.
‘Organic’Results
SERPs typically contain two types of content –“organic”results and paid results. Organic results are listings of web pages that appear as a result of the search engine’s algorithm (more on this shortly).
Search engine optimization professionals, commonly known as SEOs, specialize in optimizing web content and websites to rank more highly in organic search results.
There are three primary types of Internet search:
Informational search
Informational searches are those in which the user hopes to find information on a given topic, such as Abraham Lincoln.
It wouldn’t make much sense to place ads or other types of paid results on a SERP like this, as the search query “Abraham Lincoln”has very low commercial intent; the vast majority of searchers using this search query are not looking to buy something, and as such only informational results are displayed on the SERP.
Navigational search
Navigational queries are those in which the user hopes to locate a specific website through their search. This may be the case for individuals searching for a specific website, trying to locate a website whose URL they can no longer remember, or another type of navigational objective
Transactional search
Finally, transactional searches are those in which paid results are most likely to be displayed on the SERP. Transactional searches have high commercial intent, and search queries leading to transactional SERPs may include keywords such as “buy”and other terms that suggest a strong desire to make a purchase.
Paid Results
In contrast to organic results, paid results are those that have been paid to be displayed by an advertiser. In the past, paid results were almost exclusively limited to small, text-based ads that were typically displayed above and to the right of the organic results.
Today, however, paid results can take a wide range of forms, and there are dozens of advertising formats that cater to the needs of advertisers.
Search Engine Optimization
As its name implies, search engine optimization is the practice of optimizing websites and web pages for discovery in search engines and, as a result, more visible placement on search engine results pages. This is accomplished through a variety of means, from what is known as “on-page”SEO to “off-page”techniques, which is covered in the previous section.
PPC and Search Engine Results
Pages Unlike SEO, pay-per-click marketing focuses solely on the investment of advertising budget to achieve prominent positioning on search engine results pages. However, it’s not as simple as merely throwing more money at a campaign –advertisers must think strategically to achieve their goals.
Paid search functions as an auction. Advertisers bid on keywords that are relevant to their business that can trigger the display of their ads when users search for those terms.
A wide range of factors determine where an ad will be shown on the SERP. Some ads might be displayed above the organic search results, whereas others may be shown to the right of the organic results.
Some advertisers choose to limit the display of their ads to mobile searches only, whereas others exclude mobile results altogether. Some ads feature extensions, and some do not.
Like SEO, paid search is a complex topic, but for now, just remember that paid search focuses on optimizing ads to be shown in as prominent a position on the SERP as possible.
In the coming section, we are going to look into conducting keyword research, creating quality content, building links the right way, and more which will help you earn the top spot on the Google SERPs.
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