SEO Glossary: SERP

 

 

What is SERP?

The term SERP comes from the English language and means "Search Engine Result Page". Translated, it means search results page.

 

When a user submits a search query, the corresponding search results are displayed in the SERP. While the results used to be static and very one-sided, they are now dynamic and dependent on several factors. For example, the country and region in which a user is located.

 

Many SEOs and webmasters are always striving to get as high up in the SERPs as possible. Because the higher the position, the better the click rates the better the click rates. And the bottom line is that this results in more traffic.

 

 

 

 

How is the SERP structured?

In recent years, it has been very easy to observe how the SERP has constantly evolved. In the past, search engine results from Google and other search engines only displayed simple result boxes, also known as SNIPPETS were displayed.

 

But today they deliver much more. Depending on the type of content on the target page, the information in the SERPs is also displayed as info boxes. Alternatively, these are also known as knowledge graphs. The search engine decides independently which type of info box is displayed to the user. However, it can help to implement the information on a website with structured data.

 

For example, if users search for a famous sportsperson, a corresponding info box is displayed with all the important facts (place of birth, age, career, etc.). There are also other info box types with FAQs, recipes or videos, for example.

 

The aim is therefore to provide users with only relevant and high-quality content so that they receive the greatest possible benefit from it.

Which factors play a role for the output in the SERPS?

In the early days of Google and other search engines, SERPs were still largely static. The individual country versions were identical for almost all users. Today, however, things are very different.

 

Search engine results are largely dynamic and their output depends on various factors.

 

The following are factors and signals for the SERPs:

 

• History in the browser: Search engines store information on previous search queries in cookies. Accordingly, they can have an influence on future search queries.

 

• Location: Where the user is currently located also plays an important role (keyword local SEO). If a user has activated geo-localization and enters "Chinese restaurant", for example, they will receive corresponding results in the SERPs from Chinese restaurants in the city in which they are currently located. Here, for example, the search results are displayed in Google Maps.

 

• End device: If a user enters a search term from a mobile device, they will receive corresponding results that are optimized for a tablet or smartphone. This is intended to create a positive user experience.

 

• Logged-in users: It is not uncommon for search engine users to be logged in with their Google account, for example. They therefore receive different and possibly optimized search results according to their previous use.