What is SERP in SEO?

SERP stands for search engine results pages. When a question is typed by a user into a search engine, they do not want to scroll through numerous pages of SERPs. Users expect the search engine algorithms to sort through all relevant content and web pages on the SERP to provide the best answer for their query. As online marketing and search engines have advanced, algorithms perform this task more efficiently. The image below shows an example of a SERP with the search query “men’s shoes”:

Since users expect SERPS to represent the highest-ranking websites, most clicks are given to these sites. The estimation is 76 percent of all clicks are sent to the first SERP Google page. Approximately 53 percent of clicks are accumulated by the first five organic results. Your position in the SERP results affects the amount of traffic your website receives. 

Understanding your SERP ranking can be challenging because the algorithms determining your results change regularly. You might be slightly overwhelmed trying to keep up with these changes. You already know SERP stands for search engine results pages, but there is additional information you should be aware of while you are developing your website. You need to know different types of content is frequently combined by search results including:

• Organic text
• Paid ads
• Images
• Videos
• Rich answers including Quick Answers 

The content displayed on the results page is dependent on the type of question the user enters and what Google believes is the best answer. SERPs offer you an SEO opportunity by showing your website offers value through an intriguing page description and an engaging title. A complex algorithm is used to determine the order of the pages in the SERPS. 

The search engine guards this algorithm carefully. You will not be able to access this algorithm, but your website is judged according to hundreds of different criteria. This helps determine the value and relevance of your page. You can use a SERP tool to help improve your ranking. In some cases, Google confirms its algorithm has been changed and provides insights regarding the impact on SERPs. This happened when Google made major changes including:

• RankBrain
• The Panda update
• The Mobile update
• The Penguin update

What is a SERP Ranking?

SERPs are the pages search engines display every time a query is made. Your results are typically ranked according to the relevance of your page to the query. There are methods you can use to improve your ranking including:

• Acquiring more quality backlinks
• Creating your own backlinks
• Optimizing your entire website
• Improving your domain authority
• Optimizing your website for the right keywords
• Using a SERP tool to help determine which changes you need to make

Search results are a visual environment designed for mapping rich text and media content for search intentions. Over 50 elements are used for SERPs in different combinations. They are frequently combined into thousands of different layouts. 

FACTS: 

• Almost 60% of desktop SERPs are People Also Ask with video thumbnails representing 34% of mobile SERPs and 37% of desktops. 
• Quick Answers represent 21% of mobile SERPs and 19% of desktops.

Clickthrough Rate for SERP Layouts

The combined clickthrough rate encompassing the top 15 positions is between 43 and 92 percent. This is dependent on the device and layout. The lower CTR is generally for transactions with a higher rate for informational searches performed when consumers start their customer journey. The other clickthrough rates are as follows. 

• SERPs using video thumbnails scored in the top 15 clickthrough listings rate with 52 percent on mobile and 77 percent on desktop. 
• SERPs using images scored in the top 15 clickthrough listings rate with 48 percent on mobile and 54 percent on desktop. 
• SERPs using Quick Answers scored in the top 15 clickthrough listings rate with 89 percent on mobile and 92 percent on desktop. Since these searchers are looking for information, it is likely they clicked on more than one listing. 
• SERPs using site links scored in the top 15 clickthrough listings rate with 60 percent on mobile and 87 percent on desktop. 
• SERPs using Local 3-Pack scored in the top 15 clickthrough listings rate with 43 percent on mobile and 58 percent on desktop. 

What is a SERP Checker?

This enables you to locate the best opportunities for your SEO keywords by searching the global database. When you enter a phrase or word, you can view a listing of relevant keywords. This includes difficulty ratings and search volumes. You receive a detailed analysis of the Google results for any search term. Once you have entered a keyword, you can see the websites ranking for the word and if competition is possible. For example, here is Ahrefs SERP checker:

(Image Credit: Ahrefs)

A SERP checker is important when researching SEO strategies for specific areas. You will receive results for specific cities, regions and countries to help you locate the best keyword for each area. You can enter the keyword of your choice to view numerous items including:

• Reviews
• Maps
• Shopping links
• Featured snippets

Targeting these keywords enables you to take advantage of SERP features to increase the amount of traffic to your website. Your link profile strength and authority scores help with the identification of the most powerful and easiest competitor links for you to replicate. Numerous metrics are used for the calculation to provide you with accurate insights including social signals, trust flow and citation flow. 

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What is a SERP Analysis?

SERP analysis is when you analyze the top pages ranking for a specific topic or keyword. Marketing and SEO professionals rely on this information for determining the difficulty of ranking for a google search. In addition to helping with ranking difficulty levels, an analysis also helps you find competitors already achieving their Google rank. Below is an example of a SERP analysis tool:

(Image Credit: Vendasta)

This provides your SEO or marketing team with important insights so you can improve your business rankings. One of the top SEO goals is appearing on page one of the SERPs when consumers are searching for relevant terms. A good example is if you are selling cat toys in Los Angeles, you want a page one listing when the term cat toys in Los Angeles is entered. 

If you enter your search term into Google, do not be surprised if you do not appear on the first page of the SERPs unless you have already taken steps to improve your ranking. If you are not there yet, your best option is to determine how other businesses appeared on the first page and how you can improve. Once you determine the approximate traffic volume you will gain from a specific keyword, you will know if it is worth the effort and cost. 

SERP Benefits

There is no doubt your search engine ranking will improve with good SEO. This impacts the leads and sales received by your business. The most important benefits of SERP SEO are detailed below. 

Targeting Quality Traffic with SERP SEO

One of the best SERP benefits is you can use it as an inbound marketing strategy. This is different from the advertising channels for traditional outbound marketing because you are not reaching out to consumers not interested in your products or services. Inbound marketing ensures consumers can find your business when they want information. Traditional methods including interruptive ads, spam emails and cold calling are only effective when focused on the goals of the advertisers.

The majority of consumers are annoyed by the above methods. Inbound marketing is more catered to customers while they are listening to the radio or watching TV. The idea is the creation of helpful resources while ensuring information is easily accessible. When a consumer decides they want to learn more about a specific product or industry they can find your website by themselves. 

In addition to being a lot more convenient for your customers, your business will receive more qualified leads. According to a recent survey, 59 percent of all participating marketers said their sales teams received the highest quality leads from inbound practices. You can advertise your business on a billboard and people are going to see it but most of them will not be interested. 

The better option is publishing online content consumers will find when searching for something of interest. You can reach your target audience more effectively by focusing on consumers actively searching for information regarding your products, services or industry. SERP SEO allows you to reach your target audience while they are searching for a product or service they are interested in purchasing now. This substantially increases the chance your website will receive leads turning into sales. Here is an example of a “native ad” which is content that has been sponsored. This type of advertising is effective because it looks like content and will drive people to your website.

(Image Credit: Acquisio)

Receive More Clicks with SERP SEO that PPC Ads

Yes, PPC ads will appear before organic rankings, but approximately 71 percent of all consumers click on organic results located on the first SERP Google page. This is most likely because consumers trust the algorithm used by Google. They know which advertisements are paid for and prefer visiting pages determined as the best by the search engine. 

There is no proof this is true but it makes sense. Most clicks for any type of search are for organic results. This is a great way to get ahead of your competition. SEO is now considered to be essential for any good marketing strategy. Approximately 60 percent of all marketers believe their top priority is improving both their online presence and SEO. 

Your competitors have most likely already taken the steps necessary for establishing high rankings through the search results. You can keep up with and ideally get ahead of your competitors with a good SERP SEO strategy. You need to remain competitive in your industry to ensure your business is successful. You should be aware Google is constantly crawling the net for the most recent information from key sources. 

A good example is the brand searches in which Twitter appears. The content is almost always posted within a few hours. The majority of websites are crawled by Google a minimum of once every week. Weekly movement for the SERPs is significant and generally takes place on Monday or Tuesday. One of the key SERP features impacting searches is location. The location of the user affects the SERPs they can see. 

This is even more true when a consumer enters a local query like the best Chinese restaurants near me. The location has the greatest impact on local searches. This type of search is responsible for a lot of online traffic. More than 50 percent of all online traffic is for index updates for mobiles. Almost 90 percent of all consumers use smartphones and roughly 85 percent of tablet users are conducting a local search. If you have your business on Google My Business your business will show up on local map searches such as this one:

The results for local searches significantly impact the majority of sales. Approximately 50 percent of all consumers using a smartphone go to a store a maximum of 24 hours after a local search is conducted. Almost 80 percent of these searches result in a purchase. When you consider the importance of your location, there are concepts you need to consider regarding the value of SERPs including:

• Having your business listed on Google+ Local
• Optimizing your business for local searches by prominently displaying your address in addition to creating content for local consumers. 
• Using quality images and content to fill out your Google+ profile and working on acquiring new user reviews. 
• Maintaining and conducting regular checks for your business listings including your name, phone number and address. 

Highly Relevant Content

The content displayed by Google is highly relevant. The topics covered by your site combined with your keyword determine if your content is relevant. There have been numerous debates regarding the best SEO keyword practices since the industry first began. Your keywords are incredibly important because they are an indication to the search engine regarding the topic covered by your page. 

Your SERPs rankings will be damaged if you keyword stuff because you will be detracting from the experience and journey of your users. Your focus should be the main keyword you have researched. You need to use this keyword throughout your content and include any related keywords. This will add depth to your content while you are covering your topic. There are several things you should keep in mind to ensure your content is relevant including:

• Identify the most applicable topics using keyword research to help ensure your users appreciate your content. 
• Use your keyword several times in your content to make certain your relevance is clear. This includes your URL, alt text for images, H2 tags and title. 
• Create content exploring your topic well while including naturally related keywords. 

Improving PR with SERP SEO

Even though PR and SEO are completely different marketing strategies, they can be used together to maximize your results from both. Your SEO and PR content are the strongest connection for link building. The key component of your SEO strategy should be earning backlinks from high-quality websites. One of the most important concepts for an SEO professional is identifying opportunities for coverage or placement on relevant websites including news publications and industry blogs. 

Your PR strategy is about getting influencers and prominent publications to talk about your business because it provides you with a great opportunity. You can use research regarding link building to determine new ideas for placing your brand in front of your target audience. This enables you to distribute your content more effectively to potential clients and customers. You can check who is linking to your site and promoting your business with Ahrefs backlink tracker, for example:

(Image Credit: Ahrefs)

We hope that you found this article useful.

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Paying for Ads in SERP SEO is Unnecessary

Google’s organic rankings are 100 percent focused on the determination of its algorithm regarding the best results for any question. When the search engine determines one of your pages is worthy of appearing in the top SERP results, you can receive traffic for months or years after publication. You will need to make an investment to research and write high-quality website content. 

You can either spend your time creating the page yourself or make an investment in a digital marketing agency. Once your initial investment has been made, you do not need to continue spending money to attract traffic to your website. Depending on the topic discussed in your content, updates might be required every couple of months. If the same keyword is targeted by your competitors, you will most likely need to either improve or add new content. 

Diib®: Reach Your SERP Goals Through SEO Techniques!

The bottom line is there is no cost to receive a top spot in the search results. There is a significant difference between this concept and running PPC ads. Every time a consumer clicks on one of your ads and visits your website you are charged. To understand the major benefit, think about the average cost of CPC or cost per click throughout all industries of $2.32. 

When you use SERP SEO, you eliminate the need to consistently pay this cost. This means you can earn website traffic without any fees or costs. Diib Digital allows you to track and analyze your SERP goals, allowing you to change minute details of your SEO campaign for the ultimate improvement. Here are some of our User Dashboard features we’re sure you’ll appreciate:

• User experience, specifically mobile users
• Bounce rate monitoring and repair
• Social media integration and performance; local search included
• Broken pages where you have backlinks (404 checker)
• Keyword, backlink, and indexing monitoring and tracking tools
• Mobile speed optimization
• Technical SEO monitoring

Click here for your free scan or simply call 800-303-3510 to speak to one of our growth experts.