What are Search Results?
Search results are a list of webpages from a search engine that appear in response to a particular search query. A search engine results page (SERP) may also include paid ad listings, images, videos, and other features helpful to the user.
Why are Search Results Important?
Search results are crucial for businesses and blogs because appearing at the top of the SERP for highly searched keywords can significantly boost website traffic.
For example, if you’ve built a blog about succulents, you’ll want to rank for keywords related to this topic to attract organic traffic from Google. Keyword research tools can help you find valuable keywords to target, related to succulents.
In this case, I searched for “succulents.” By clicking the “Related terms” function, I found “how to care for your succulents,” a high-potential keyword with an estimated U.S. search volume of 14K (18K globally).
If your blog ranks well for this keyword, it stands a good chance of appearing at the top of the search results, likely driving substantial organic traffic to your site.
What Types of Search Results are There?
There are two broad types of search results in Google:
Organic Results
Organic results are unpaid listings on the SERP, also referred to as natural search results. They are determined by the search algorithm based on relevance and quality for searchers.
A typical organic search result includes the website URL, SEO title, and meta description, as shown below in the organic results for the keyword “buy succulents in bulk”:
Organic results are influenced by several key factors:
- Content Quality: The depth, originality, and usefulness of the content.
- On-Page Optimization: Proper use of keywords, title tags, and meta descriptions.
- Backlinks: The quantity and quality of links pointing to the page from other websites.
- Internal Linking: Effective use of links within your website to guide users and search engines.
Paid Results
Paid results are ad placements bought by advertisers to appear on the SERP alongside organic listings. Paid search results are typically found at the top and bottom of the SERPs on both desktop and mobile.
For example, searching “buy succulents in bulk” reveals a Google Shopping Ad carousel at the top, displaying product names, photos, prices, and merchants.
For text ads, you can create custom headlines, descriptions, and landing page URLs. Below the shopping ad carousel, paid listings for the keyword “buy succulents in bulk” are shown:
Paid results are determined by:
- Bid Amount per Click: How much you are willing to pay for each click.
- Query Competition: The number of advertisers competing for the keyword.
- Landing Page Quality Score: The relevance and quality of your landing page.
It’s important to note that you must continuously pay for ads to maintain visibility in the SERPs. Once you stop paying, you lose the traffic generated from paid ads.
Best Practices for Appearing in Search Results
To improve your chances of appearing at the top of the search results, follow these best practices:
1. Match Search Intent
Search intent is the purpose behind an online search query. Most queries can be categorized by intent:
- Informational Intent: Users want to find an answer to their question or learn about a topic.
- Transactional Intent: Users are looking to make a purchase.
- Navigational Intent: Users are looking for a specific brand, company, website, or person.
Search intent is clear for some keywords, such as “buy iphone,” indicating a buying mode. For others, it’s not as obvious, so analyzing top-ranking search results helps determine the most likely intent.
The "three Cs of search intent" help define the search intent behind any query using Google:
- Content Type: The overall type of content in the search result (e.g., blog post, product page, landing page).
- Content Format: The format of the top-ranking pages (e.g., listicles, reviews).
- Content Angle: The unique selling point of the content (what makes your page stand out).
2. Get Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to your site and are a top-ranking factor in Google. High-quality backlinks improve your content's chances of appearing at the top of the SERP.
To build backlinks, analyze your competitors' backlinks using a backlink checker tool. This can help you identify resource pages and high-authority sites linking to your competitors, providing potential link-building opportunities.
3. Add Internal Links
Internal links connect pages within your website, transferring PageRank and giving key pages a targeted lift in search results.
Internal links also provide Google with more context about the page’s topic, helping it appear higher in search results for the desired query.
To find missed internal link opportunities, use the Link Opportunities report in Ranktracker’ Site Audit, which is free with Ranktracker trial.
FAQs
What are search results?
Search results are a list of webpages from a search engine that appear in response to a particular search query. They can include organic results, paid results, images, videos, and other features.
Why are search results important?
Search results are important because ranking at the top of the SERP can drive a lot of organic traffic to your website. It also enhances your credibility and authority in your industry.
How can I improve my chances of appearing in search results?
To improve your chances of appearing in search results, you should match search intent, get high-quality backlinks, and add internal links. Following on-page SEO best practices and creating valuable content can also help.
What is the difference between organic and paid search results?
Organic results are unpaid listings determined by the search engine's algorithm based on relevancy and quality. Paid results are ad placements bought by advertisers to appear on the SERP.
