Anatomy of a SERP
Break down the parts of a modern search engine results page.
A SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is what a user sees after searching. Modern SERPs are far more than ten blue links.
Common SERP features
- AI Overview - an AI-generated summary at the top with cited sources.
- Paid ads - marked Sponsored, sold through auctions.
- Featured snippet - a highlighted answer box pulled from a page.
- Organic results - the free listings SEO targets.
- People Also Ask - expandable related questions.
- Rich results - listings enhanced with stars, prices or images.
The more SERP features you can earn, the more visible your brand becomes - even above the number-one organic spot.
Example
<!-- Winning a featured snippet often starts with a clear, concise answer -->
<h2>What is SEO?</h2>
<p>SEO is the practice of improving a website to rank higher in the
organic results of search engines, increasing free traffic.</p>When to use it
- A content strategist studying the SERP for 'best CRM' adds an FAQ section to their article to win the People Also Ask box.
- An e-commerce brand adds AggregateRating schema so star ratings appear directly in organic listings, boosting click-through rate.
- A news publisher applies Article schema so stories appear in the Top Stories carousel above the standard blue-link organic results.
More examples
Title and meta description for SERP
The title and meta description are the two primary organic SERP elements users read before deciding whether to click.
<head>
<!-- Blue clickable headline in the SERP -->
<title>Best CRM Software 2024 - Ranked and Reviewed | Acme</title>
<!-- Grey snippet shown beneath the title -->
<meta name="description"
content="We tested 12 CRM tools. See scores, pricing and which fits your team size. Updated monthly.">
</head>FAQ schema for People Also Ask
FAQPage structured data marks up Q&A pairs so Google can surface them in the People Also Ask SERP feature.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What is a CRM?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "A CRM helps teams track contacts, deals and communications in one place."
}
}
]
}AggregateRating schema for star snippets
AggregateRating schema enables star rating rich results in the SERP, which visually differentiate a listing and often lift click-through rates.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Trail Runner Pro",
"aggregateRating": {
"@type": "AggregateRating",
"ratingValue": "4.7",
"reviewCount": "312"
}
}
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