What are SERP?

A search engine results page (SERP) is the list of results that a search engine returns in
response to a specific word or keyword phrase query. The highest-ranking search
results are either the most relevant results or ones that an organization or individual
pays the search engine to place at the top of the results page. Search engine algorithms
are used to rank content on the page so links become less relevant as the reader
moves down the page.

Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo are among the most widely used search engines.
They include the same common features in their SERPs, such as the following:

● a list of linked webpage titles or title tags;

● URLs to each page listed;
● a brief description of each webpage called the meta description;
● images related to the search;
● a list of People Also Ask (PAA) questions, which includes questions users
ask related to a search term and quotes from search results pages
answering those questions; and
● advertisements.
● Despite having common features, each SERP is unique to the individual
who searches. Search engines often customize SERPs based on data such
as the user's location and search and browser histories.

Search engine providers are constantly changing their search algorithms to improve the
types of results they provide, incorporate new technologies and analyze new webpages.
Search engines also offer tools such as Google Analytics, which provides data and
analytics capabilities. These tools let content providers and digital marketers track
webpage performance, collect data on user traffic and identify trends to improve their
ranking on a results page.

How do SERPs work?

There are three main types of webpages on an SERP:

● pages the search engine spider has crawled and indexed;

● pages that have been manually added to the search engine's directory; and
● pages that appear as a result of paid inclusion.
Search engines use complex algorithms and ranking signals, or characteristics that lead
to favorable rankings, to analyze these indexed webpages and multimedia content in
real time when a user makes a search. They then position the webpages and links to
them from most to least relevant on the results page. SERPs also consider data such as
the searcher's location and search and browser histories when presenting results.

Search engine providers are not transparent about how their algorithms work, what their
ranking signals are and how many they use.

However, there are some known factors, such as the following:

Number of backlinks. The number of external webpages linking to one specific page is
significant in determining SERP ranking. A lot of backlinks to a webpage indicates the
page is an authority on a subject and trustworthy.

Number of relevant keywords. The use of a comprehensive set of keywords relevant

to a topic has a positive effect on ranking. However, this should not be confused with
keyword stuffing, which search engines do not like. Google shares information on how
keywords and phrases have been searched over time with its Google Trends tool.

Organization. Google's algorithm is the one we know most about, and it favors pages
organized into simple sections that make it easy for a user to navigate and skim. The
algorithm also favors content written in simple terms.

User experience. User experience details such as webpage loading speeds, security
and ease of use are factored into content rankings on SERPs.

Trust signals. Search engines also consider cumulative data such as a website's
security, credibility, traffic and backlinks over time.

Common SERP features

Featured snippets. Featured snippets are pieces of content displayed at the top of the
SERP. If a search query is made in the form of a question, featured snippets will choose
content from a webpage that answers that question and display it above the organic
results.
Knowledge graph. The knowledge graph, also known as the knowledge panel, is a box
that appears at the right side of the SERP. This graph is most used for informational
queries, such as queries about individuals or organizations. It includes relevant
information about the query, including important dates, facts and images.

Local pack. A local pack appears when an individual searches for a specific local
business or a type of business. For instance, if a user searches for restaurants in their
area, a local pack will appear. It contains a map with locations the search engine thinks
are helpful, plus customer ratings, business phone numbers and other information.

Rich snippets. Rich snippets are like local packs in that they give information about
businesses. Rich snippets appear in the typical webpage listing directly below the page
title and include information such as a business's average customer star rating and how
expensive it is using a range of dollar signs from one to four.

Image results. Image results, or image packs, are one of the oldest and most shared
SERP features. For instance, Google images are often provided at the top of Google
search results. Users can also search an image or do what's called a reverse image
search by dragging and dropping an image file onto the search box.

Video results. Video results are another long established, common SERP feature.
Depending on their relevancy to the search term, video results often appear at the top of
SERP above organic results but below images and featured snippets. For instance, if a
user searches for a musician or band, a music video will often appear below an image
result and a featured organic result like Wikipedia.

People Also Ask. PAAs are a series of questions related to searcher's query posted at
the top of a SERP. When a user clicks on one of the questions, an answer pops up from
a high ranking webpage. To be included as an answer to a PAA, a webpage usually
must be on the first page of the SERP, though that isn't always the case.

Twitter results. SERPs sometimes include relevant Twitter posts, especially for events
with a lot of live coverage. For instance, if a user searches for a sporting event, tweets
that provide live updates and instant reactions will appear at the top of the SERP.

Top stories. Top stories appear at the top of the SERP for certain results. These are
usually news stories related to a query.

Shopping. Many users search for products. Many search engines such as Google have
a shopping feature that presents both organic and paid shopping results for products, as
well as product reviews and related webpages.
What are search operators?

Google officially defines search operators as “symbols or words in your search to make
your search results more precise.”

Search operators have their basis in coding. They’re basically shortcuts to getting better
results.

When you use a search operator, you’re telling Google to narrow down the results in a
specific way.

So instead of getting pages and pages of unrelated results, you get only results that are
relevant to what you’re searching for.

Of course, you have to use them the right way. And there are tons of them.

allinurl: / inurl: – the URL

allintitle: / intitle: – the Title
allintext: / intext: – the text
allinanchor: / inanchor: – the anchor text
filetype: – file types
site: - Narrow results to a site
related: - Shows similar sites (being phased out)
cache: - Shows a page copy in the Index
define - Gives a definition (or use “what is”)
The quotes (“”) - Search for a phrase
The minus (-) - Exclusion
OR - Alternatives
Numrange (..) - Search for a range of numbers
Asterisk (*) - Stands for a word or a few words
AROUND (n) - Proximity search
before:, after: Date search