To put it simply, SERP is a search engine results page. In other words, a page filled with websites and answers to what you have searched. You might be asking what a SERP looks like and it’s likely you already know. Google, Yahoo, Bing and others are search engines. If someone types “animal shelters near me” in the Google search bar, Google will then lead that searcher to a search engine results page, which lists out nearby animal shelters and other related information.
Why Is SERP Important to Marketing?
Look at a search engine results page as a real estate opportunity. If content on your website works well for searchers and search engines, then you can expect prime real estate on a search engine results page. The way it works is when a searcher types in a query, the search engine scans the internet for what it considers to be relevant content. However, there are a few ways you can assist your content in ranking higher on search engine results pages:
Ranking on SERP through Organic Search
The idea of digital marketing is to become a thought leader in your industry. One way to achieve this goal is by creating relevant and well-searched content for your target audience. If you are an insurance company, writing blogs based on different policies and financial help will target the online searchers you hope to become customers. Within those blogs are relevant keywords, which searchers use to find answers. Search engines look to provide those answers to the searcher. For example, if your company provides grooming and health services to animals, and if a searcher looks for “how to take care of a rescue dog,” you should have blog content based around that search term. Once you do, you will have more authority on SERP.
Ranking on SERP through Pay-Per-Click
With pay-per-click (PPC) ads you can gain authority by bidding on keywords that provide a higher rank for your content. The higher bidder has more authority of the keyword. So, when a searcher types in that keyword, or something similar, that company will appear on either the top or the top right of the search engine results page. With Google AdWords, you can adjust how much you are willing to spend on a weekly basis. You will only pay when someone clicks on the ad from the page.
What Does a SERP Looks Like?
Since Google is the most popular search engine, we broke down what exactly a Google search engine results page looks like. 
- PPC Results: This is where the highest bidders will see their ads and are identified as ads with the small yellow sticker on the bottom left of the result. The ads also link to a user’s cookies once the ad is clicked.
- Organic Search Results: Using relevant and helpful keywords and informative content, searchers can find the top results that Google chooses for their search questions.
- Google Shopping: Google now has a special option to shop sponsored products right from Google. Once a product is clicked, it navigates the user to its corresponding website. For example, if you clicked on a Nike Air Max shoe, it will bring you to Nike’s website.
4. Brand information: This section provides information about the brand from Wikipedia, an affiliated Google site, and the brand’s Google+ account. It also features the brand’s social media channels and similar brands. 
5. PPC Results: This is another option to place PPC advertisements. When Google Shopping and brand information is unavailable, these PPC ads will be placed higher on the right side of the SERP. Ranking high on search engine results pages improves your company’s search engine optimization in both organic and PPC results. Choose where you want your company to show up and start your goal to getting there!
