A SERP, short for search engine results page, is the page of results shown in response to a search. On Google today it can include ads, an AI Overview, organic listings, a featured snippet, People Also Ask questions, videos, images, local results and more. No two SERPs are guaranteed to be identical: results vary with the query, location, device, language and other context, so any single view is a sample.
What a SERP contains
The core of a SERP is still the list of organic results, each with a title link, URL and snippet. Around them Google places paid ads and a changing set of SERP features. The mix depends on what Google thinks the searcher wants.
- Paid ads, at the top and sometimes the bottom
- AI Overviews, for some queries
- Organic results with title links and snippets
- Featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes
- Video, image, news and local results
- Knowledge panels for entities such as companies
Reading a SERP for keyword research
Looking at the actual results page is one of the most useful steps in keyword research, and one of the most skipped. It shows what kind of page Google prefers for a search, who you are competing with, and how much room organic results really get.
If the top results are all comparison lists, a product page is unlikely to compete. If forums and videos dominate, Google may be reading the intent as wanting first-hand experience. If an AI Overview and several ads sit above the first organic result, expect fewer clicks than the search volume suggests.
Why SERPs differ between people
Google tailors results to context: country and city, language, device, and sometimes recent activity. Rank-tracking tools typically check from a set location and device without personalization, which is why their positions can differ from what you see and from Search Console's averages.
To check a SERP fairly, use a private browsing window, set the location you care about, and remember that the page can change from day to day.
Example
Matching the SERP's format
A hypothetical email deliverability tool plans a blog post for “email warm-up tool”. The SERP shows mainly product pages and “best tools” lists, with no how-to guides in the top results.
The team changes plan: it improves its product page for that search and writes a fair roundup page that includes competitors. The SERP told them which format had a chance.
Common mistakes
Planning from keyword data alone
Volume and difficulty do not show the format or competition on the page. A minute looking at the SERP can save a wasted article.
Assuming everyone sees the same results
Location, device and language change the SERP. Check from the market you care about.
Questions
It varies. Google has moved between paginated results and continuous scrolling over the years, and the number of organic listings shown depends on how many features are present.
Yes. They appear on the results page for some queries, and links within them are counted in Search Console's Performance report alongside ordinary results.
