Short definition

SERP — the page a search engine displays after a search, which can include organic results, ads, and rich results.

Also known as: Search Engine Results Page.

SERP stands for search engine results page: the page a search engine such as Google displays after a search. It can combine organic results with ads and rich results such as FAQ dropdowns or review stars.

How is a SERP structured?

Paid results often appear near the top, labeled as ads. Organic results appear without advertisers paying for those positions. Depending on the query, the search engine may also show a map with local businesses, related questions, or a product carousel. The exact layout varies by query, country, and device.

Why record a SERP snapshot?

Search positions change by country, device, and day. To track rankings, record the query, search engine, country, device, and date alongside each result’s URL and position. Our benchmark uses those snapshots to select participants and record their search positions. We then test each agency’s homepage, which is not necessarily the URL that ranked.

What are rich results?

Rich results are organic listings with extra visual information drawn from structured data: review stars, prices, an FAQ dropdown, or a breadcrumb trail. They make a result stand out on the SERP and can increase clicks without changing the organic position itself.

How it relates to other website choices

SEO is the broader practice of improving a site’s visibility in organic results. Structured data can make pages eligible for rich results. A canonical URL identifies the preferred version of a page; it does not guarantee which version a search engine will display.