Did you know that you can web search for the same thing as someone else, but get entirely different results compared to them?
This isn’t a bug or some form of misinformation. Believe it or not, this is all thanks to algorithms and AI. And all of this computer magic happens inside the SERP.
What is SERP? There’s a lot more to it than just the page where Google displays your search results. In fact, this is the consumer-facing portal to the world’s knowledge and dictates what information you get.
Keep reading for a byte-sized (pun intended) guide to SERP.
What Is SERP?
What are SERPs? SERPs, or search engine result pages, are what you see after pressing enter on a search engine. The most relevant results appear at the top and get less relevant as you scroll. SERP attempts to find information that is not just relevant, but informative.
There are two main sections in SERP:
- PPC ad space: the top queries, if relevant, are ads that Google hosts for the company they link to
- Organic search results: these are links that Google believes are most relevant to your query
How SERP Works
Many companies fight tooth and nail to get to the top position on Google’s search. But believe it or not, they don’t pay for that privilege. Rather, their marketing department–or a third party–optimizes their web content so Google chooses them first.
Google finds the links that it provides with web crawlers. These are bots that scuttle the web in search of content, indexing whatever they find into appropriate categories. To keep this all neat and organized, they make certain traits more desirable.
Desirable traits include links that are easy to read, have up-to-date sources, and a specific keyword phrase. That way, the next person–such as you–gets the page they’re looking for.
You can even find out what your ranking is right now. Use a tool for Google website ranking check here.
The Importance of SERP
The reason companies fight so hard to get the top spots in a SERP is for one simple reason: visibility. If a customer searches for their product, they often click on the first few links. Most people are not patient enough to keep scrolling and investigating further results.
Let’s give a SERP example or two of common search queries:
- Navigational: someone doesn’t have the full site URL for a website
- Informational: someone wants to get information
- Transactional: someone wants to buy something
So, companies engage in SEO (search engine optimization). This is the process of convincing web crawlers to put your content first. Since you can’t pay for organic search results, you have to make your content enticing to web crawlers.
If they don’t, then they will lose out on a considerable source of income. It’s in every company’s interest to have strong SEO to secure their online presence.
Maximize Your SERP Ranking Today
What is SERP? It’s the main page a person sees when they search for something. Because of Google’s powerful crawlers and algorithms, it’s vital that companies maximize their SERP ranking.
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