What is SERPs?

A search engine results page, or SERP, is the web page that appears in a browser window when a keyword query is put into a search field on a search engine page. The list of results generally includes a list of links to pages that are ranked from the most popular to the least popular from the number of hits for the particular keyword. The list will include not only the links, but also a short description of each page and of course, the titles of the web page. The term “search engine results page” may refer to a single page of links returned by a query or the entire set of links returned.

SERPs of major search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Ask.com and Bing, may include different types of listings: 

• Contextual
• Algorithmic
• Organic search listings
• Sponsored listings
• Images
• Maps
• Definitions
• Videos
• Suggested search refinements

The major search engines visually differentiate specific content types, such as images, news, and blogs. Many content types have specialized SERP templates and visual enhancements on the main search result page.

The major search engines typically display three kinds of listings on their SERPs.

• Listings that have been indexed by the search engine's spider.
• Listings that have been indexed into the search engine's directory by a human.
• Listings that are paid to be listed by the search engine.