How Search Engine Results are Calculated
We’ve all used Google.
We’re used to typing in a simple word or phrase and getting millions of results across thousands of pages. We even have a name for it.
We call them SERPs, or Search Engine Results Pages.
Here’s what we’ll teach you:
- The way SERPs work
- Google’s algorithm influences search results
- How organic and paid results differ
The SERPs
These are the pages that show up after you type a search query.
You get the most relevant and highest-ranking information in various ways – but we’ll talk more about that later.
Google is the most popular search engine by a long shot, even over Bing and Yahoo. We’ll talk more about Google in this article.
The goal of marketing professionals is to show up on the first page of SERPs, and there are a lot of SEO tactics that can help. Getting to the top spot has become more difficult as Google’s algorithm changes.
What’s the reason?
Google SERPs get more clicks from the top than anywhere else. On the first page, pages that sit in the first spot have a 34.36% click-through rate (CTR) and a better chance of attracting a consumer.
We’ll discuss what search queries are, what search intent is, and how the Google algorithm affects those results for a better understanding of SERPs
Keywords and Search Intent
A search query is a string of words that you type into a search engine to find stuff online.
In addition to the search query, a user’s search intent is also outlined.
Unique search queries fall into four categories:
- Informative: learn something new or find out what to do
- Transaction: buying something
- Navigating: finding a specific website
- Commercial: people looking for products they’re interested in buying
Having a good understanding of search intent and queries can help marketers better target their content
The SERP Process
The Google algorithm determines the SERPs.
Users see Google’s search results because of Google’s three-stage process.
There are three stages:
- Crawling: When Google’s bots go looking for new or updated pages to index
- Indexing: inserting URLs, images, content, and other media files into a database
- Serving: presenting the user with pages relevant to the search query
You can’t rank on the first page of Google SERPs by just going through Google’s three-step process. Search engine optimization gives pages that rank well a competitive edge.
In short, do your best to satisfy users by answering their queries and following Google’s rules, and you may find yourself on the first page, or perhaps the first spot, of Google’s search results.
Discover how you can optimize your SERP rankings by reading on!
Pay-per-click versus organic results
In terms of Paid Results
In terms of Organic Results
What Are My Options to Improve SERP Rankings?
In order to improve your brand’s visibility on SERPs, you can use a combination of paid and organic methods.
There are two main types of marketing strategies: paid advertising and organic search engine optimization. Here is an explanation of each.
Make use of paid advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are just one of many search engine results page features used by users.
PPC advertisers bid a certain amount of money for a position in those search results and are charged each time a user clicks on their ad.
Businesses can use PPC ads to gain visibility for pages that rank well organically for the desired keyword. PPC ads may help you compete for first-page rankings on the first page of SERPs if, for example, you want to rank for a specific search term, but it’s highly competitive and improving rankings organically has proved challenging.
Paid ad strategies are effective for generating leads for many businesses. The majority of users ignore those ads, so it’s best to develop a strong strategy and conduct A/B tests before spending too much money on PPC campaigns.
Keep these other practices in mind when creating a PPC campaign:
- Choose your keywords wisely. Research terms relating to your brand and that satisfy a user’s search to use keyword tools such as Keyword Overview Tools and Google Ads’ Keyword Planner.
- Clearly define when you want your ad to appear. If you don’t want an ad to appear, use negative keywords to let Google know.
- Monitor your campaign carefully. Analyse the popularity of your ad and what people do when they click on it. Your campaign can be strengthened by determining what works well and what you need to improve.
Improve Your Organic Results
Ads with immediate results are great, but budgets can only last so long. A better option would be organic SEO if you want to take part in a longer, more successful game of increasing rankings, especially if you’re launching a business on a limited budget.
Organic SEO tactics have proven to be five times more effective than paid advertising for businesses.
Which methods do you use to improve your organic search results?
Changes will start to occur if you adhere to these seven best practices.
- Research keywords that interest users. With Keyword Overview Tools, you can find exact keyword matches and related keywords to improve your content’s ranking.
- Comprehend your content thoroughly. Create content that provides in-depth information on the topic, incorporates semantic keywords, and answers users’ questions.
- Identify opportunities to build backlinks. After you produce a piece of content, consider promoting it so that other sites can share it or link back to your site.
- Engage your audience with your content. Include it in social media posts and email promotions to help build engagement.
- Optimize your on-page SEO. Including technical aspects of your page, such as title tags and meta information, will help boost rankings for your target keyword. Get a free SEO health check for On Page SEO and more this is an excellent tool to use for this purpose. *Speak to ME (Dylan) to get one for your domain*
- When appropriate, prioritize local search. If you are a local business, claim your Google Business Profile page and optimize it to appear in the local pack.
- Adapt your content to the SERP features. Google bots can better understand what your website or page is about when you use schema mark-up. You can add mark-ups to recipes, products, reviews, and more!
You should improve your organic listings first if you want more authentic results that last longer than an ad campaign.
Rankings in the SERPs can be drastically improved by building a great organic SEO strategy.