Everyone is used to searching Google for the answer to any question that comes to mind, the nearest service or place, or the product you want to buy and get the results in just a few seconds. However, with the amount of information available, it can sometimes seem impossible for our website or blog to stand out in the SERPS. And you may be wondering, What are the SERPS and how do I increase positions in them? Through SEO optimization and the role played by the SERP, as we explain below, you can give visibility to your website or your blog in a way clear for boost search results in your favor and achieve your branding, traffic or sales goals.
What does SERP stand for?
SERP Definition
The SERPs are an English acronym (Search Engine Results Page) that in Spanish we would define as the results pages that appear after a search. It can be an answer to a question, a product, a service, or anything you can type into Google’s search engine. There really are many results in a SERP, so it is important to adapt to the content that is worked on them in order to position a website correctly.
Each SERP page is uniquely configured and is directly related to the search performed. Individual configuration allows personalized user experience based on said search. Therefore, aspects such as the location, the search history, the cache, or the SEO of the pages are taken into account based on their relevance with respect to the query, in order to offer the most appropriate content.
It doesn’t matter which search engine we use, the SERPs are a common factor for all of them, but without a doubt Google is one of the most used globally and the most extensive. As we can see, the definition is extremely simple. The real difficulty is to position our SEO content and Google Ads in them based on the quality criteria of the search engine.
SERP Types
As we well know, Google makes a significant differentiation between two types of SERPs, paid SERPs and organic SERPs. In this way, a division is made between SEO and ads.
- organic SERP: These are the results that are shown thanks to SEO positioning, that is, for free. To position a website or blog through SEO, we must take into account the relevance and searches of our keywords.
- Payment SERP: These types of results are shown thanks to Adwords bids, so they are paid results. That is, Google will show those web pages that have bid for a specific keyword and other factors that have to do with Ads.
In addition to this distinction, we must take into account that Google currently not only positions texts, but also has expanded the results to many other elements such as YouTube videos (after acquisition), images based on keywords, snippets and text boxes, among others. For this reason, we must talk about the types of results that the SERPs show to know how it would benefit us when it comes to positioning our company, a service or a product, for example.
Types of results that the SERPS show
As we have anticipated, Google SERPs show different results depending on what you think is most relevant. Therefore, depending on the type of search, it is possible to find snippets to resolve doubts, videos, images, shopping or Google My Business.
Therefore we find the following result types:
- Web: This is the traditional results page in which websites related to the keyword appear.
- maps: the search engine associates the keyword with a specific place, so it directly shows us the Google Maps page. These types of results are generally displayed when the search is identified with a place or a , using the Google Places map, or also called . By creating a company profile, you will be able to appear in this list when they are searched for keywords related to your business, such as your business name or location. From there, they can contact you, visit your website or your blog and learn more about your company. Any generic search, for example “coffee shop”, will offer you a selection of results on a map of the closest coffee shops to you.
- Video: With the incorporation of YouTube to Google, the integration of videos into the search engine allows videos to appear with a specific search (such as a song) instead of the classic text results, thus linking directly to YouTube.
- Images: Since about 2012, Google decided to start displaying the most relevant images based on keywords at the top of the SERP thanks to an improved algorithm.
- News: In this case, and despite the fact that the Google News option for Spain no longer exists, it is possible to find results from the main headlines in this section as long as the keyword has current news related to it.
- Products: Thanks to Google Shopping it is possible to obtain offers and products as results, as long as the keyword matches them. These results usually appear on the right side of the search engine with the prices and the website from which they come.
how do i show up in Google and in the first positions of the SERP?
As is logical, appearing in the first positions of Google is not an easy task given the great competition that exists in most sectors. However, it is important that you take into account the multitude of existing categories, since it will depend on this whether you can cover more or less content.
What does this mean? well what if you are an e-commerce, you need to use Google Shopping to be able to appear in a greater number of searches; in the same way that If you are a local store, it will be very useful to register with Google My Business to appear in organic searches by location or type of business. The solution is not always to invest more in Google Ads, but to create interesting content, adapted to the sector and the public you are targeting, in addition to registering for the different options that Google offers to appear in searches for different categories.
Of course, the SEO you carry out is still essential since there will be a significant differentiation between the organic SERPs and the paid SERPs, as we have already explained in the previous point. For this reason, the proper use of keywords will be essential to climb positions in the SERPs, either in the paid or organic one.
SERPs and search intent
In this sense, you should also think about the intentionality of your potential customers when looking for your service or product: in this way, you will differentiate between navigational intentionality (search for stores, for example), transactional (looking to buy a product or service) or informational. (is interested in the company itself). As a result of this, the searches and therefore the keywords will vary significantly.
Structured data and SERPs Go for the click!
Structured data are those references found on a website or blog by marking or tagging, embedded in the HTML language to describe the different types of information that can be positioned for searches. In this way, Google establishes the most relevant results for users.
In addition, thanks to this data, you can expand the information of the results of the SERPs through snippets and rich snippets. In e-commerce it is especially relevantsince it offers information on prices, features, brand, etc. and brings them together directly in the SERPs through the Shopping category to offer all this data in the same space.
As you can see, the Google SERPs are much more important than they seem, so it is essential that you know how they work in order to target your content to Google and also to your potential customers.
Types of structured data that appear in the SERPs
Structured data allows you to label data in different categories so that they appear immediately in the search results. An example of structured data is frequently asked questions or FAQs, where a list appears with the questions related to the keyword that has been used in the search. Thus, it is likely that a drop-down will appear with the frequently asked questions in the language of the search. However, there is plenty of structured data that you can use to mark up your websites or blogsWhat ratings (which are usually done through plugins), Article, local, product, event, prescriptions either carouselamong many others.
You can find much more information about SEO and Ads through our blog to be able to position your company in the first positions of the SERPs. Have you already tried some of our recommendations? Tell us in the comments!
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