A SERP (search engine results page) is the page of results you see after entering a query into a search engine such as Google. It shows the various results that match the query, for example web pages, ads, images or other content.
The SERP is therefore the central surface on which users decide which result to click.
What appears on a SERP?
Modern results pages are no longer just a list of links. Depending on the query, Google shows very different kinds of content.
Typical parts of a SERP include:
Organic results
- pages that rank through search engine optimisation (SEO)
- title, URL and meta description
Other content on the results page
- paid ads (Google Ads)
- featured snippets with direct answers
- images or videos
- local results from Google Maps
- AI Overviews or other AI-generated answers
Which elements appear depends heavily on the search intent.
Why SERPs matter for SEO
Much of online marketing comes down to being as visible as possible in the results. Companies therefore try to place their pages and content as high up the results page as they can.
The higher a result appears on the SERP, the more likely users are to click it.