SERP. What is a SERP in Google Searches or Bing Searches?

What is a SERP?

What does SERP Stand for?

What does SERP mean? SERP is an acronym that refers to a Search Engine Results Page. This is the page of results you get when you conduct a Google search or a search on Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, Duck Duck Go, YouTube, or even on Facebook.

What does a SERP do?

The SERP contains the answers to your query, and can be made up of organic page listings, paid page listings, profiles, videos, images, maps, business profiles and more. 

How do SERPs Work?

Different search engines have different goals for their SERPs. Most of the commonly considered search engines work to get you information that answers your query in order to gain or keep share of use. Helping searchers find the answers they need gets those users to return. In many cases, that means eyes on their paid ads.

How does a Google SERP Work?

By offering several different online services (Gmail, Chrome, Analytics, Android, Drive, Home, Blogger, YouTube and more), Google has formed a more complete picture of its users. They have gained a top spot among search engines by using cues within the query along with a number of other behavioral and demographic dimensions from these various products to deliver the most relevant results. To do that, they collect different data and use that to determine the nature of the query. That could mean the same search phrase, searched by different people in different locations could result in different Google SERP results.

What dimensions are used by SERPs?

• Where are you located: Google uses your physical location to understand what you mean by "near me," which town named "Waterloo" you mean, or whether your search is informational or to make a purchase. 

• Your age and gender: Your various Google accounts, including your Chrome browser account are used to tell Google more about who you are and which results might be more relevant to you.

• Your browser history: The sites you've visited in the past help Google determine which sites you might intend to find in your new searches. As an example, if you spend a lot of time on gardening sites, a new search for "ramps" might turn up recipes using leeks and onions. If you have been browsing sites for accessibility equipment, a very similar-looking search might instead deliver modular ramping solutions. 

Why are SERPs Important?

Having a presence in SERPs can be extremely important to businesses. Search engines are often where people go to get information to make buying decisions. From first understanding a problem to evaluating possible solutions to ultimately comparing options and following through, search engines play an important role in most things we do. Choosing a restaurant, buying a pair of shoes, ordering a part for a malfunctioning refrigerator, determining a contractor to install a zero barrier shower, or deciding with whom to refinance your 30-year adjustable mortgage each might involve a number of search engine queries. Having a presence on those SERPs is important to influencing those decisions and being considered when it's time to buy. 

How do You Show Up in SERPs?

Showing up in SERPs can be both easier and more difficult than you might be thinking. On one hand, with the right keywords, targeting, and bids, you could show in a Google SERP or Bing SERP almost instantly. On the other hand, a search strategy that delivers sustained results can take more careful work and a mix of SEO and SEM strategies. Regardless, the way to use SERPs for long-term success is generally to answer the right questions for the right people at the right times. That means you need to determine what the searchers actually want and create content that helps them with it. Any SEO tactics that ignore genuine search intent or SEM campaigns that give up after the click will struggle to deliver relevant traffic. 

If you are interested in showing up in SERPs for the searches that matter to your business, connect with a VGM Forbin associate today. Forbin has teams for medical equipment (DMEPOS) SEM and SEO, for financial services SEM and SEO, and for Iowa area businesses. Each of these teams can help you show up on the search engine results pages that matter to your goals.