A SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is the page a search engine like Google shows after you run a search: everything between the search box and the bottom of the page, from the ads to the organic links.
What a Google SERP contains today
Years ago a SERP was ten blue links. Today it is a mosaic Google assembles for each query. These are the most common elements:
- Ads: paid results from Google Ads, labelled "Sponsored". They can appear at the top, at the bottom or both.
- AI Overview and AI Mode: the AI-generated summary shown above the results on many informational searches, with links to the sources it draws on. AI Mode is the conversational tab that answers with AI instead of the classic list. More background in our entry on Google SGE.
- Organic results: the links Google ranks by relevance and quality, with no payment involved. They are what SEO works on and the source of organic traffic.
- Featured snippet: an extract from a page that answers the question directly, in a box above the other results. See featured snippets.
- People Also Ask: related questions that expand into a short answer and a link.
- Local pack: a map with three nearby businesses taken from their Business Profiles. It shows up for searches with local intent ("dentist in Manchester", "plumber near me") and is the territory of local SEO.
- Images and videos: blocks or carousels, often with YouTube videos.
- Shopping: product listings with price, store and ratings, both paid and free.
- Top stories: a carousel of recent articles when the query has a news angle.
Not every search shows every block. "Buy running shoes" will bring Shopping and ads; "what is inflation", an AI Overview and related questions; "pizza open now", a local pack.
Why your "position 4" can be the 12th thing the searcher sees
Search Console calculates average position from the topmost position a link to your site holds in each search, averaged across all impressions. According to the Search Console documentation, ads do not occupy a position, and an AI Overview or a carousel counts as a single position even when it fills half the screen.
Picture a mobile search with this SERP:
- Three ads (not counted as positions).
- An AI Overview that fills the first screen.
- A local pack with three businesses.
- A People Also Ask block with four questions.
- Your link.
Search Console may report you at position 4 or 5, yet the searcher has scrolled past eleven items before reaching you. A "good" position in the report does not guarantee real visibility, which is why you should look at the SERP yourself before celebrating or worrying about a number.
The SERP changes with device, country and intent
- Device: a phone fits far less per screen, so the same block pushes organic results much further down than on desktop.
- Country, language and location: the same keyword in the US and the UK returns different results, and local searches change even between neighbourhoods of one city.
- Intent: Google picks the blocks based on what it thinks the searcher wants. A transactional search brings product listings; an informational one, answers and guides. If you do not understand search intent, you will not understand the SERP.
- Timing: the SERP is not fixed. Google tests formats, adds or removes blocks and reorders results, so a screenshot from six months ago may no longer apply.
How to read a SERP before choosing a keyword
Before you create or rewrite a page, search the keyword in an incognito window, in the target country and on mobile. Then answer these questions:
- What type of page ranks? If the top 10 are product pages, a guide will struggle, and vice versa. Look at the format too: lists, comparisons, tutorials, category pages.
- Who ranks? If it is only big brands, major publishers or government sites, competition is tough. If you see forums, small sites or outdated pages, there is room.
- Which blocks steal clicks? An AI Overview that answers the question, a featured snippet or four ads on top can leave little traffic for the first organic result.
- Is there a block you can win? A featured snippet, the local pack or a video carousel can be a faster route than the first blue link.
To check where you stand for a specific keyword without searching by hand, you can use the Google rank checker, which shows your position, who holds the top 3 and whether that search displays an AI Overview.
CTR depends on what sits above you
The CTR of a position is not a universal number. Ranking first on a clean SERP with only links is nothing like ranking first below ads, an AI Overview and a local pack. If your CTR is low despite a good position, look at the SERP before you touch the title: sometimes the problem is not your result but everything above it.
Common mistakes when reading the SERP:
- Trusting average position without opening the real search.
- Comparing CTR across keywords with very different SERPs.
- Checking the SERP on desktop when almost all your traffic comes from mobile.
- Searching while signed in to Google, with results shaped by your location and history.
Frequently Asked Questions
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SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page: the page a search engine shows after you search. On Google it mixes ads, organic results, the AI Overview and blocks such as the local pack, images and related questions.
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It is the page Google returns for a specific search. It is not a fixed list of ten links: Google decides which elements to show (ads, a map, videos, products, news, AI-generated answers) based on the query, country, language and device.
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Because ads do not occupy a position, and each block (an AI Overview, a carousel, a group of images) counts as a single position even if it fills half the screen. On top of that, position is an average of your link's topmost position across impressions, and it varies with the searcher's country, device and location.
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It depends on the search. The classic page had ten blue links, but today special blocks push down or replace some of them, and many searches load more results as you scroll. That is why it pays to look at the real SERP instead of counting positions.