You may not even know what it is, but you and the world benefit from it without knowing it, daily, in some cases, many times a day.
SERP, in a very direct and summarized way, is what you see in every search you perform on Google!
Do you want to better understand what it is and, above all, understand why your interpretation is fundamental to your Digital Marketing strategy?
What is SERP?
SERP, is, first of all, an acronym related to the term Search Engine Results Page.
In practice, it is what is content that is presented every time you include words and key in “enter”, in the search made on Google.
The results vary according to the terms searched, not only regarding the links that are made available, but the types of content presented.
Google’s algorithm is smart enough to distinguish when you want to know what a term is or when you want to consume a product or service and given the differences that exist in the two searches – or others that you can do – deliver information and different formats under which the information is available and that may interest you.
If, for example, you do a search for the “best pizza in New Delhi”, a map will appear first highlighting points with different pizzerias on it, followed by establishments using Google My Business, only then will organic results appear.
Instead, if you want to know “what technology is “, you will see in the results the traditional – and expected – organic results, and right after the first one, also alternative questions that people normally ask related to the research topic.
On the right, there is also a relevant and initial excerpt from some of the first results, images and other terms also searched and the like.
But all of this can vary more, according to what is researched. You may have advertisements and sponsored links, pricing services, images, videos, reviews, news, whose order and location on the page vary according to what Google “understands” as most relevant to you.
Regardless of what you see, as you move forward with SERPs, they tend to stay the same. That is, this specialization and wealth of data are only present on the first page. Why?
Because Google works – and so does the user – so that most of the time what you are looking for is on the first page. And that is the main reason why this is your goal – to be on the first page of a SERP.
What is the importance of SERPs?
Naturally the main point of relevance is for the end user – the internet user. It is through the presentation of the results that he satisfies his needs and desires. What it seeks and what Google delivers.
It is also, seen in another way, the product that Google sells – quality and meticulously organized information.
But analyzing and interpreting what is displayed in a SERP for a given survey, is essential to adjust your Digital Marketing strategy and obviously, improve your results.
The amount of information and consequently of possible deductions that can be extracted from a SERP, is immense. But assuming that you are just taking your first steps in this matter, let’s divide it into three major areas.
SERP and SEO
The most immediate utility of evaluating the visualized SERP is to observe how your SEO work affects your positioning over time.
That is, as you produce content and apply the SEO On Page and SEO Off Page techniques, this impacts – or not – on your positioning.
Knowing how to draw conclusions, by reading what is obtained, helps to refine the SEO work for each new content that is produced, as well as in a more broad and comprehensive way, Digital Marketing.
That is, in addition to the Google Analytics assessment, SERP makes it possible to see in practice what effects your actions produce. However, you must be aware that the results are not immediate and come over time.
More than that, a good part of your competitors are also moving. And that leads to another important development…
SERP and competitors
In addition to the actions you take to climb to the top, there is what your competitors are doing.
Observing what is different about the results that are above yours, is a way to improve or start doing what you have not yet done.
Here, imitating others is no problem. But be careful, it doesn’t mean copying your content, but the principles that make the content of the top positions made them more relevant according to Google!
Observe the titles, subtitles used, the keywords, the long tail keywords, how the content was prepared, its size, the form that is presented, the link building. All of this is very useful for learning what is important to position yourself well.
SERP and sponsored links
Last but not least, there are sponsored links, especially if you invest in it.
This is an extremely broad and complex subject that is totally dependent on its segment and the competition. It is not the purpose of this topic to make you an expert on the subject or exhaust you, not least because it is unlikely that you can achieve this with so little.
The investment required can vary enormously according to the company’s operating segment, since there are some more competitive than others, but also due to the knowledge and experience that one has.
When investing in sponsored links, there is a little bit of both the previous issues – SERP and SEO and SERP and competitors – but there is also empiricism, or trial and error.
There is no absolute and valid rule for every type of business, because the results also depend on the moment and the competition and the terms you choose to work with.
Above all, keep in mind that this is an extremely dynamic approach and, therefore, what you did a month ago and brought you good results, will not necessarily be the same in a month or even today.
Using SERPs to improve
Now that you have a macro view of what a SERP is, it’s time to plan how to take advantage of it.
As we have already said, everything will always depend on the scenario in which you are inserted, but also on your possibilities. Imagine the ideal situation, in which everything is possible, depending only on your desire to do.
One of the first possibilities is the diversity of formats or types of content. Do you already have videos, images, podcasts, ready to be indexed?
What about the types of sites? Blog, tutorial or DIY site, institutional, forum, online store, social networks?
The diversity of ways and means to present the content, maximizes the chances of appearing, not only because unlike just a text about something, in a single place, where there is only one chance, but also because a social network, can help to boost a blog, or vice versa.
Different formats and means of presenting the content, also have greater reach, after all, there are those who prefer social networks, there are those who like blogs, those looking for images, videos, both or a little bit of everything.
The truth is that an analytical view of the SERPs for each keyword in your area of expertise and possible related searches, provides Google’s view of what is relevant to deliver to users.
When you worry about it, it’s the same as worrying because someone prefers your competitor’s and neighbor’s pizza over your own.
Conclusion
A SERP is more than just a page of search results. It can be said that it is the photograph that users on the Internet seek. Evaluating the elements of this photograph, help you to increase your chances of appearing in the next photos and, consequently, leverage your exposure.
