It’s a question we hear often – and no wonder – the phrase frequently occurs in SEO (search engine optimisation) chatter around the web, and unless you’re an search engine optimiser yourself, the jargon can be somewhat confusing.
So, cutting straight to the point – what are they and why are they important?
SERPs. Otherwise know as ‘Search Engine Result Pages‘ are the pages in Google which display results for your search queries online. On Google, these pages display a combination of paid adverts (often at the top and right hand side of the page with a yellow ‘ad’ or ‘sponsored’ button next to them) and organic (not paid) results.
SERP positions are, simply put, the positions a website holds in organic search, for example, if your website is optimised well, it will normally hold the number one position when searching for your company’s name. The number one spot starts and is counted from the top result under any paid adverts.
In this example graphic, you can see the variety of results brought up on the SERP for a search about a service.
1) These top three results are paid ads with yellow ‘ad’ indicators.
2) These are further paid ad results.
3) This is a map typically generated by Google when searching for a service, displaying local businesses.
4) This is the first organic search result. This result holds the number one SERP position in Google for the term searched.
SEO & SERP positions
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is a service that focuses on increasing a website’s organic SERP positions for a selected set of keywords/phrases, making your website easier to find online.
This involves a combination of on-page optimisation, regular content creation and authority building through reputable backlinks (gaining links from respected websites around the web). Having good SERP positions for high volume traffic searches is vital to ensure your website is found easily for the right searches. The further back your website is placed in Google SERPs, the less likely your target audience are going to find you – people want results quickly, so they often click on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd result to find what they’re looking for.
Further Information
If you would like more information on Austin Marketing’s SEO services, visit our SEO service page where we offer a free SEO site audit, or you can always contact us.