The Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is where all the action happens. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or content creator, knowing the types of search results on SERPs can help you optimize your website for higher visibility.
But what exactly makes up a SERP? From organic results to paid ads, featured snippets to local packs—there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Each result serves a unique purpose and plays a crucial role in delivering the best user experience.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the different types of search results you can find on Google’s SERPs. Understanding each of these features is not just important for SEO—it’s key to shaping the way you connect with your audience and get noticed online.
Let’s get started…
Table of Contents
What is SERP and How Does it Work?
A Search Engine Results Page (SERP) displays search outcomes. It appears when you type a query into search engines like Google or Bing. SERPs are designed to provide answers quickly and efficiently.
How SERPs Work
Search engines use crawlers to explore websites and collect data. This data is indexed and ranked based on many signals. Signals include relevance, content quality, and user engagement. When you search, the engine scans its index and ranks pages matching your query.
Paid ads work differently. Advertisers bid on keywords to display their ads. These ads appear on the SERP depending on how much they bid and ad relevance.
Why SERP Matters
SERPs impact how users find information. Websites aim to appear on the first page for visibility. Being at the top gets more traffic and clicks. Businesses optimize content for better search rankings by using SEO techniques.
1. Organic Results
- Definition: Organic results are unpaid listings on the search engine results page (SERP). These are based purely on SEO best practices.
- Purpose: To showcase content that best matches the search query, based on relevance, authority, and quality.
- Example: A blog post ranked #1 for the search “best coffee shops in New York” without paying for placement.
- How to Optimize: Focus on relevant keywords, create high-quality, original content, and build backlinks from authoritative sites.
Google has long used AI in its algorithm, but its new AI Overviews now take center stage in organic search. This feature enhances informational searches by summarizing key results for users effortlessly.
2. Paid Results
- Definition: Paid results are advertisements that appear at the top or bottom of the SERP. They are marked as “Ad”.
- Purpose: To help businesses gain visibility for targeted keywords through paid ads.
- Example: An ad for a fitness app that appears above the organic results when you search for “weight loss apps”.
- How to Optimize: Use Google Ads to target high-converting keywords, create compelling ad copy, and optimize landing pages for conversions.
According to Rank Ranger’s Desktop SERP Features report on February 11, 2025, Ads (Top) appear on 60.88% of page one SERPs (+2.67% daily, +3.12% monthly).
3. Featured Snippets
- Definition: Featured snippets provide a direct answer to a query, often appearing at the top of the SERP, above organic results.
- Types:
- Paragraph Snippet: A text-based answer.
- List Snippet: Bulleted or numbered lists.
- Table Snippet: Structured data in table format.
- Example: A recipe appearing at the top of the page with ingredients and instructions.
- How to Optimize: Structure content clearly with headers and lists. Answer common questions directly and succinctly.
According to Ahrefs’ study on Featured Snippets, they appear in approximately 12.3% of search results.
4. Knowledge Graph
- Definition: A box that appears with information about entities like people, places, or things. It usually contains factual data from trusted sources.
- Purpose: To provide quick and reliable facts in response to specific queries.
- Example: Searching for “Albert Einstein” brings up a box with information about his birth date, achievements, and key facts.
- How to Optimize: Use structured data (schema markup) and focus on creating high-quality, factual content related to entities.
In March 2024, Google’s Knowledge Vault expanded by 7.23%, encompassing over 54 billion entities. Notably, there was a 17% increase in person entities, with E-E-A-T-friendly profiles like researchers and journalists experiencing the most significant growth.
5. Local Map Pack
- Definition: A localized group of search results, typically with a map, showing businesses related to a location-based query.
- Purpose: To help users find nearby businesses or services.
- Example: Searching “pizza near me” shows a map with nearby pizza restaurants and their reviews.
- How to Optimize: Create and optimize your Google Business profile. Use local keywords, and ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web.
According to Backlinko, 46% of Google searches have local intent, highlighting the importance of local SEO strategies. For businesses looking to connect with nearby customers, optimizing your online presence for local search is essential to improve visibility and drive more foot traffic.
6. Rich Snippets
- Definition: Rich snippets are enhanced listings that provide extra details such as reviews, pricing, or availability.
- Purpose: To provide users with more context right from the search results.
- Example: A product listing showing star ratings, prices, and availability.
- How to Optimize: Implement structured data (e.g., Schema.org) on product pages and include rich content like reviews and pricing.
Rich Snippets, as Google explained, were created to help people find useful information faster. They show extra details like reviews and ratings directly in search results. This makes the results more interesting and helpful, which increases the chances of people clicking on them. To check if your website supports them, you can use Google’s Rich Results Test tool. For website owners and marketers, it’s a great way to get noticed and bring more visitors to their sites.
7. Image Pack
- Definition: A row of clickable images related to the query, usually shown in a carousel format.
- Purpose: To showcase visual content for image-heavy searches.
- Example: Searching “modern kitchen designs” shows a series of kitchen images in a carousel.
- How to Optimize: Use descriptive alt text, optimized image sizes, and relevant keywords in the image title and metadata.
Research shows that Image Packs in search results can significantly increase click-through rates (CTR). While numbers can vary, results with images usually attract more attention than plain text.
8. Video Results
- Definition: Video results appear as clickable thumbnails, often from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.
- Purpose: To provide video content for queries where a visual explanation is beneficial.
- Example: Searching for “how to tie a tie” shows a tutorial video from YouTube.
- How to Optimize: Optimize video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords. Host videos on YouTube and embed them on your site.
9. People Also Ask (PAA)
- Definition: A dynamic list of related questions that appear beneath the primary search results.
- Purpose: To guide users to other relevant topics or questions related to their search.
- Example: Searching for “best laptops” shows related questions like “What is the best laptop under $1000?”
- How to Optimize: Create content that answers common questions in a concise and clear manner. Include FAQ sections with structured data.
According to Ahrefs, People Also Ask (PAA) boxes appear in 41% of search queries, making them a significant feature in search results. These boxes can increase click-through rates (CTR) by up to 50% or more, particularly when the answers are relevant to user intent. Additionally, 50% of users tend to click to expand the questions in the PAA box, indicating strong engagement and interest in the information provided. Read more about People Also Ask
10. Top Stories
- Definition: A carousel or section of news articles that appear for trending or time-sensitive searches.
- Purpose: To give users the latest news on trending topics.
- Example: Searching for “Oscars 2025” shows the latest news articles related to the event.
- How to Optimize: Stay updated on trending news topics and publish relevant content quickly. Use news SEO best practices.
11. Related Searches
- Definition: Suggestions for similar or related search queries that appear at the bottom of the SERP.
- Purpose: To help users explore more topics relevant to their query.
- Example: Searching for “healthy breakfast ideas” shows related searches like “quick breakfast recipes”.
- How to Optimize: Use related keywords and focus on long-tail queries to help users discover similar topics.
12. Google Shopping
- Definition: Product listings displayed directly on the SERP with prices, images, and retailer information.
- Purpose: To help users compare products and prices directly from search results.
- Example: Searching for “wireless headphones” displays a range of headphones with prices and ratings.
- How to Optimize: Set up a Google Shopping campaign and ensure your product feeds are optimized with clear, detailed descriptions.
13. Sitelinks
- Definition: Additional links that appear beneath a primary organic result, leading to specific pages on a website.
- Purpose: To improve site navigation and increase click-through rates.
- Example: Searching for “Nike” shows sitelinks to pages like “Men’s Shoes”, “Women’s Apparel” and “Sale”.
- How to Optimize: Ensure your website structure is clear and logical, making it easy for Google to generate sitelinks.
14. FAQ Snippets
- Definition: Collapsible lists of frequently asked questions and answers that appear in search results.
- Purpose: To provide quick access to answers for common queries.
- Example: Searching for “how to start a podcast” shows FAQs like “Choose your podcasting equipment” and “Outline your first episode”
- How to Optimize: Create detailed FAQ pages and implement structured data to help Google pull your answers into the snippet.
FAQ snippets show quick answers in search results to common questions. To appear in these, use FAQ schema and write clear, simple answers to popular search queries. For more details, refer to resources like Google Search Central and Schema.org. These tools can help improve visibility and drive more traffic to your website.
15. How-To Guides
- Definition: Step-by-step guides displayed directly in the search results to help users complete a task.
- Purpose: To provide actionable, practical content for users.
- Example: A guide on “how to change a flat tire” showing each step with images.
- How to Optimize: Include clear, detailed instructions with images or videos. Use step-by-step formatting to enhance readability.
We don’t have exact numbers on how much how-to guides help with search rankings. But we do know that user-focused content makes a big difference for SEO. Google says it’s important to create helpful and trustworthy content that people can really use.
16. X (Formerly Twitter) Results
- Definition: X Posts displayed for real-time content related to a search query.
- Purpose: To show live discussions and updates on trending topics.
- Example: Searching “bafta awards 2025” shows live posts with updates.
- How to Optimize: Use hashtags and participate in trending conversations to increase visibility.
While writing this blog, I searched for trending topics in the second week of February 2025 and found that the “BAFTA Awards 2025” was a hot topic. I came across the details in the X Result.
17. Knowledge Card
- Definition: A box containing detailed information on a specific topic.
- Purpose: To quickly answer user queries with summarized data.
- Example: Searching “Tesla” shows a knowledge card with key details like CEO, headquarters, and more.
- How to Optimize: Focus on creating authoritative, fact-based content about entities, and use structured data to help Google pull your content into this feature.
Knowledge Cards in Google Search provide quick facts on topics, powered by the Knowledge Graph’s vast database of over 500 billion facts. Learn more on Google’s blog.
18. Jobs
- Definition: Job listings shown directly in the SERP for career-related searches.
- Purpose: To help users find relevant job opportunities.
- Example: Searching “web developer jobs” shows job postings for that role.
- How to Optimize: Post job listings on job boards like Google for Jobs or LinkedIn, and use structured data to improve visibility.
Google Job Search displays job listings directly in the SERP for career-related searches. This makes it easier for users to quickly find job opportunities without needing to visit multiple job boards or websites. For more information: Google Job Posting Structured Data.
19. Answer Box
- Definition: A boxed answer at the top of the search results, directly responding to a query.
- Purpose: To give users the most relevant answer immediately.
- Example: Searching “who is the 12th president of the US” shows the direct answer.
- How to Optimize: Structure content for clear, concise answers to common questions and optimize for featured snippets.
The Answer Box, or featured snippet, provides quick answers at the top of search results and attracts 8.6% of all clicks. It accounts for 35.1% of click traffic for high-ranking keywords, with 70% coming from the top three organic results. Most snippets (82%) are paragraphs, and targeting long-tail, question-based keywords improves chances of ranking. Optimizing content with clear, concise answers can boost visibility and traffic.
20. Flights
- Definition: Flight listings displayed directly in the SERP, usually for travel-related searches.
- Purpose: To allow users to compare flight options and prices directly.
- Example: Searching “flights to Paris” shows various flight options.
- How to Optimize: Use structured data for flights and work with travel agencies to get your listings visible in this feature.
Flight listings in the SERP provide users with a seamless way to compare flight options and prices directly from the search results. This makes it simple for users to compare their options without jumping between different websites. Implementing structured data, such as the “Flight” schema, helps businesses display rich snippets in search results.
21. Images
- Definition: Image results displayed on the SERP for visually relevant queries.
- Purpose: To provide users with visual content related to their search.
- Example: Searching for “sunset photography” shows a grid of images related to the query.
- How to Optimize: Use descriptive alt text and ensure your images are high quality and properly optimized for search.
(Comparing image pack frequency from October 2022 to September 2024 in the seoClarity platform.)
Google’s Image Pack displays groups of pictures in search results and is showing up more often now. Research from seoClarity shows a 212% increase in search queries triggering the Image Pack over the past two years and appearing around 13% more on mobile than desktop.
Conclusion
Understanding the various types of search results on Google’s SERPs is critical for anyone involved in SEO or digital marketing. Whether you’re optimizing for organic results, aiming to feature in a snippet, or driving traffic with paid ads, each SERP feature plays a vital role in your overall online strategy.
By focusing on user intent and optimizing for the right types of search results, you can increase visibility, enhance user experience, and ultimately, drive better results for your business. As Google’s algorithms continue to evolve, staying updated on SERP features and adapting your strategy accordingly will ensure your website remains competitive in the search rankings.
