Semrush SERP features are a powerful tool for any digital marketer or SEO enthusiast.
Semrush's SERP feature tracker allows you to monitor up to 20 competitors' SERP features.
With Semrush's SERP feature tracker, you can also track the rise and fall of different SERP features over time, giving you valuable insights into your competitors' strategies.
Understanding Semrush SERP Features
SERP features are a crucial part of online visibility and can drive more organic traffic to your website. They provide valuable opportunities to enhance your online presence and attract targeted users.
Google gets trillions of searches per year, and 95% of clicks go to organic search results, making SEO a vital aspect of online marketing. The higher a search result is shown on the SERP, the more people tend to click on it.
By optimizing for SERP features, you can improve your chances of appearing in the top results and capturing users' attention. For instance, having a featured snippet can position your content as an authority in your industry.
Here are the average click-through rates on Google by ranking position:
Rich snippets are one of the ways you can get more visits from a SERP, even without improving your rankings. They make the search result stand out, which can increase its CTR and traffic.
What are SERP Features?
SERP Features are a crucial part of the search engine results page (SERP). They can make a big difference in how your content is displayed and how users interact with it.
Google gets trillions of searches per year, and 95% of the clicks from those searches go to the organic search results. This is why SERP Features are so important. They can increase the click-through rate (CTR) and traffic to your website.
A study by Backlinko found that the #1 ranking result gets 10x more clicks than the #10 ranking. This is why it's essential to understand how SERP Features work.
SERP Features can be divided into two categories: On-page SEO factors and Off-page SEO factors. On-page factors include the page's content and meta tags, which control the search result snippet.
A basic search snippet consists of three things: the URL or breadcrumbs, the title link, and the description. But some search snippets are more complex, with additional features like images, star ratings, and sitelinks.
Here's an example of a rich snippet:
- An image on the side
- A star rating in the middle
- And additional links (called “sitelinks”) at the bottom
These extra pieces of information make the search result stand out, which can increase its CTR and traffic.
Why are they important?
SERP features are important because they provide valuable opportunities to enhance your online visibility and attract more organic traffic.
Having a featured snippet can help position your content as an authority in your industry.
Appearing in the local pack can drive more foot traffic to your physical store.
By leveraging SERP features, you can gain a competitive edge and increase your chances of attracting targeted users to your website or business.
Related Searches
Related Searches is a SERP feature that appears at the bottom of almost every search result page. Google analyzes your search behavior and online activity to determine what's relevant for you at that particular moment.
This feature is the most commonly used SERP feature, according to Semrush Sensor, displayed for more than 93.49% of all search results. It's a great way to find more relevant information and related topics to your search query.
To optimize for Related Searches, consider using keywords and phrases that are closely related to your target keyword. This will help Google understand the context of your content and display it in the Related Searches section.
Here's a breakdown of how to structure your content for Related Searches:
By incorporating these keywords and phrases into your content, you can improve your chances of appearing in the Related Searches section and driving more organic traffic to your website.
Tracking and Analyzing Performance
Tracking and analyzing SERP features is crucial for understanding your search performance. By monitoring the appearance of different features, such as Featured Snippets or Local Packs, you can gain insights into your visibility and competitors.
To effectively track SERP features, use the Position Tracking tool to monitor your website's position and visibility in the featured snippets, knowledge graph, local pack, and other SERP features. Analyze the click-through rates (CTR) for each feature to understand their impact on traffic and user engagement.
Here are some practical tips for tracking SERP features with Semrush:
- Monitor your website's position and visibility in the featured snippets, knowledge graph, local pack, and other SERP features.
- Analyze the click-through rates (CTR) for each feature to understand their impact on traffic and user engagement.
- Compare your performance with competitors to identify areas for improvement.
- Utilize historical data to identify any fluctuations in your SERP feature rankings and take necessary action.
By tracking SERP feature performance, you can make informed decisions to optimize your content and drive higher organic visibility.
Tracking Performance
Tracking performance is crucial to understand how your website is doing in search engine results pages (SERPs). By monitoring your website's visibility and click-through rates, you can gain valuable insights into how users engage with your content.
To effectively track your performance, use the Position Tracking tool to monitor your website's position and visibility in featured snippets, knowledge graphs, local packs, and other SERP features. This will give you a clear picture of how your content appears in search results.
Analyzing click-through rates (CTR) for each feature will help you understand their impact on traffic and user engagement. For example, if you notice that your content is consistently appearing in the "People Also Ask" section, consider optimizing it further to increase visibility.
By comparing your performance with competitors, you can identify areas for improvement and refine your SEO approach. This is especially useful when analyzing competitors' SERP features, which can provide valuable insights and help you optimize your own strategy.
Here are some key performance metrics to track:
By tracking these metrics and making data-driven decisions, you can drive higher organic visibility and improve your overall performance.
Keyword Overview
The Keyword Overview is a report that lets you look up any keyword in the Semrush database. You can enter your word or phrase in the search bar to see the keyword's search volume, intent, number of results, CPC, Competition level, volume trend, and more.
You'll be able to see the keyword's national, global, and local level search volume, which can help you understand its popularity. The intent of the keyword is also revealed, giving you insight into what users are looking for when they search for it.
The number of results for the keyword is displayed, showing how many pages are competing for the same search term. This can help you gauge the level of competition for the keyword.
You can also see the keyword's CPC, or cost-per-click, which is the average amount advertisers pay for each click on a search ad. This can help you estimate the potential revenue you could earn from advertising on the keyword.
The Competition level is also shown, giving you an idea of how many other websites are competing for the keyword. This can help you determine how easy or hard it will be to rank for the keyword.
In 2015, Google partnered with Twitter to begin indexing tweets in real-time. This makes it easier for people to find your tweets in search results.
Now when you search for the name of a business or person who is active on Twitter, there’s a good chance you’ll see their tweets.
You can see the Twitter SERP feature in action when you search for “Semrush.” After the regular organic search results from our domain, you'll see a list of tweets.
This makes Twitter a nice, easy way to get more real estate on the SERP.
Optimizing for SERP Features
Featured snippets steal up to 8.6% of clicks from the top-ranking pages, so it's essential to optimize your content to appear in these concise summaries.
To increase your chances of appearing in featured snippets, analyze competitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Enhance your on-page SEO and provide concise answers to target those snippets.
Remember, most top-ranking websites see a drop in organic traffic for search queries containing featured snippets, so it's crucial to adapt your strategy accordingly.
Optimizing for SERP Features
Optimizing your content for SERP features can give you a significant edge over your competitors. By analyzing competitor performance in SERP features, you can identify opportunities for improvement and adjust your approach accordingly.
95% of clicks from Google searches go to organic search results, making SEO a crucial aspect of online marketing. The higher a search result is shown on the SERP, the more people tend to click on it.
To get your content to appear in SERP features, you need to understand what they are and how they work. Google intentionally designed SERP features to draw users' attention and provide quick answers to their queries.
Rich snippets are one of the most popular SERP features, displaying star ratings, price comparisons, recipe ingredients, or FAQs. You can optimize your content to display rich snippets in organic search results by adding structured data markup.
Featured snippets are concise summaries that appear directly above the organic search results on Google, often stealing up to 8.6% of clicks from the top-ranking pages. If your web page appears in featured snippets, you'll likely notice a boost in organic click-through rate.
Here's a breakdown of the types of SERP features and how to optimize for them:
By understanding and optimizing for SERP features, you can improve your search visibility, increase your organic CTR, and stay ahead of the competition.
Image Pack
The Image Pack is a SERP feature that displays a group of images related to a search query, providing users with a visual representation of the topic.
Including high-quality and relevant images on your website can increase your chances of appearing in this feature.
Optimize your images by using descriptive file names, which is a crucial step in getting noticed by search engines.
Alt tags and captions also play a significant role in optimizing your images for the Image Pack.
Structured data markup, such as schema.org, can provide search engines with more information about your images, making it easier for them to understand your content.
By optimizing your website for the Image Pack, you can attract more visibility and drive targeted traffic to your site.
Local Pack
Local Pack is a SERP feature that displays information about nearby businesses and organizations next to an embedded map from Google Maps. This feature is shown for search queries that might relate to a local need, and the results vary depending on the searcher's location.
Local Packs are displayed at the top of the SERP for specific search queries, such as "bowling alley" in New York City. They can also appear for search queries that don't have obvious local search intent, but will usually be farther down on the SERP.
The Local Pack for a search query like "glass storage containers" can be found at the bottom of the SERP.
Organic Google Shopping
Organic Google Shopping results are a key feature to understand when optimizing for SERP features. They're unpaid and can be displayed anywhere in the main SERP.
Organic Google Shopping results look a lot like Google Shopping Ads, but without the "Ad" disclaimer. Each result can contain an image of the product, the product name and brand, the retailer, the price, the average star rating, and a fact or two about the product.
The organic Google Shopping results carousel can be shown for specific keywords, like "home printers". This carousel allows users to scroll through a list of products, making it easy to compare options.
Here's what you can expect to see in each organic Google Shopping result:
- An image of the product
- The product name and brand
- The retailer
- The price
- The average star rating
- And a fact or two about the product
Ads
Ads can be a crucial part of a SERP, and it's essential to understand how they work. Paid search results are managed via Google Ads and are paid for on a cost-per-click basis.
Google Search Ads are often shown at the top of the SERP above all the organic results. They can also be displayed at the bottom of the SERP, after the organic results.
Google Shopping Ads usually only show up when you search for a physical product. They contain less text than regular search ads and can be shown at the top, bottom, or in the middle of the SERP.
Top and bottom ads are targeted and must be relevant to users' search queries. These ads look very similar to organic search results, but Google marks them with a "Sponsored" label to reveal their paid nature.
The top and bottom ads together steal roughly 3.17% of clicks, which isn't much compared to other SERP features.
Measuring Success and Improving Visibility
Search visibility is an essential SEO metric that shows how well your website ranks for the target keywords.
Google will likely continue altering search results to improve user experience, which means you'll get less traffic if your website ranks in organic search results but doesn't appear in SERP features.
Improving search visibility can also help your website get a bigger share of search, which is your brand's visibility in organic search results.
Measuring Success
Success is often measured by the number of website visitors, with 75% of marketers saying that increasing website traffic is their top goal.
The bounce rate is a key metric to track, as it indicates whether visitors are finding what they're looking for on your site. A high bounce rate can be a sign of poor user experience.
Google Analytics can help you track your website's performance, including bounce rate, by setting up goals and events.
A conversion rate of 2-5% is considered average, but this can vary depending on the industry and type of conversion.
To measure success, it's essential to set clear goals and track progress over time.
Improving Search Visibility
Improving search visibility is crucial for any website, and it's not just about ranking high in organic search results. Google's mission is to provide the best user experience, and that means SERP features often take center stage. In fact, most users get answers immediately, which can make it harder for your website to get noticed.
95% of clicks from searches go to organic search results, making SEO a vital strategy for increasing visibility. You can improve your website's search visibility by winning Google SERP features, which can draw users' attention and drive more traffic.
The higher a search result is shown on the SERP, the more people tend to click on it. This is why rankings matter – the #1 ranking result usually gets the most clicks, followed by #2, and so on. Here's a rough idea of the average click-through rates on Google by ranking position:
To improve search visibility, you can focus on on-page SEO factors like content and meta tags, which affect the appearance of search results, including the search snippet. Rich snippets, which add extra information like images, star ratings, and sitelinks, can make your search result stand out and increase its CTR and traffic.
Using Semrush Tools
The Keyword Magic Tool from SEMrush is a game-changer for keyword research. It's well organized and helps you narrow down your search.
This tool is simple to use - just enter a base keyword and SEMrush finds relevant keywords. It breaks them down by qualifier, and lets you drill down further until you get long-tail keywords.
You can also use Semrush to track AI Overviews data in various places, including Position Tracking, Organic Research, Domain Overview, Keyword Overview, Keyword Magic Tool, and Semrush Sensor.
Domain Overview
In the Domain Overview section of Semrush, you can see the percentage of keywords for which an analyzed domain ranks in AI Overviews. This data is displayed in the Overview tab.
The graph in the Overview tab shows the percentage of keywords that trigger AI Overviews, and you can see the exact number of keywords by hovering over the bars. This gives you a quick snapshot of the domain's performance in AI Overviews.
Filtering the SERP Analysis table by URL allows you to see the SERP Features results, including AI Overview. This gives you a more detailed view of the domain's performance in AI Overviews.
Keyword Gap Tool
The Keyword Gap Tool is a game-changer for understanding your competitors' keyword strategies. You can compare up to 5 domains at a time to see common keywords, unique keywords, and more.
This tool allows you to drill into each keyword and filter data by metrics like specific keyword, position, and MSV.
With the Keyword Gap Tool, you can quickly identify where your competitors are targeting keywords you're not, and vice versa. It's a great way to gain a competitive edge.
SERP Feature Types
Google's SERP features are a crucial aspect of any SEO strategy, and understanding the different types can help you optimize your content for better visibility.
There are three main types of SERP features: Knowledge Panel, Featured Snippets, and Local Pack.
A Knowledge Panel is a box that appears on the right-hand side of the search results page, providing quick answers to a user's query.
Featured Snippets are short summaries that appear at the top of the search results page, answering a user's question in a concise manner.
Local Pack is a group of local business listings that appear on the map, providing users with a list of nearby businesses that match their search query.
Google's algorithm favors content that answers a user's question in a concise and informative way, making Featured Snippets a highly coveted SERP feature.
A Knowledge Panel, on the other hand, is more geared towards providing quick answers to a user's query, often pulling from a specific source or database.
Local Pack is designed to help users find local businesses that match their search query, making it a valuable feature for businesses with a physical presence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What SERP features are not linking to a domain?
SERP features like instant answers, featured images, and flights don't link to a specific domain. These features are listed in the "SF" column when conducting Organic Research
Featured Images: pexels.com