What’s the Search Engine Results Page and why’s it important to be at the top?

Written by Lilly Steel, Managing Director

Knowing how you can increase your site’s rank and stay relevant in the search results is crucial to your SEO strategy – so here’s what you need to know about SERPs and their benefits.

What is a SERP?

The search engine results page is what Google or any other search engine brings up when you hit enter on a search term. Pieces of information can be presented in various forms, from paid ads to organic results and text snippets.

When you put a search into Google, you’re presented with millions of results in a fraction of a second. Imagine how unhelpful it’d be if Google showed you those results in some arbitrary order – eg. alphabetical. To serve the user what they want to see – and maybe get some ad clicks too! – search engines use complex and ever-changing sets of rules to decide what is shown at the top.

Usually this boils down to whatever is most relevant to your search keywords, and what tends to be clicked on by people searching similar things.

Because search engine rules are constantly changing based on user behaviour, you’ll have to keep two things in mind when it comes to your SEO strategy. First, there’s no clear cut or guaranteed rules to reaching the top of the results! Some websites get off the ground and are at the top of the SERP in 3 months… other websites take years.

Second, you’ll have to keep adapting your SEO strategy and content marketing to stay at the top. When Google looks for results to show you, it has to sift through millions of results. More than anything the algorithm will look at your content – what it contains and when it was posted. The more consistently you publish relevant content, the more likely you are to be pushed to the top.

Benefits of the SERP

Here’s a good way to think about the benefits of the SERP.

Imagine if a fine dining restaurant was located at a service station. There’d be plenty of people about, but the restaurant would probably be a failure, because people looking to grab a quick bite before continuing their journey are not the ideal customers for the restaurant. Likewise, imagine a fast food restaurant in a luxurious, upper class area. It might get some customers, but the type of people around are probably looking for the fine dining experience. Both establishments could be huge successes, but are in exactly the wrong places.

The same concept applies to the search engine results page. You could be at the top of the SERP for a particular search, but it might not benefit you in the slightest because the people searching that thing are irrelevant to your business. Getting seen in the right searches is just as important as increasing your rank in the results!

The strategy behind it all

There’s a whole host of benefits to appearing in Google’s search engine result page but it’s incredibly important to have an SEO strategy and content in place that’s relevant to your ideal customer to ensure you’re really reaping the rewards.

For example, if you’re running a beauty salon, you’ll want to appear in searches from people looking for beauty salons in your area. To improve your chances of being seen in those searches, you need blog content, front page copy and backlinks that reflect the key words and search terms your ideal customer will use.

When you appear in the right searches and show up first on the search engine results page, you’ll consistently be sent organic traffic. Online visitors who are looking for exactly what your business offers will see you before your competitors. You’ll reach your target audience, connect with more of the right people, and increase your conversion rate. More of your online traffic will turn into actual sales and interest, rather than bounces.

What’s great is that this is a self-reinforcing cycle. When you reach your ideal visitors, they’ll stay longer on your website. This tells Google to recommend your site to more of the same people, bringing you more and more of your target audience. It can take months to get your site to the top of the SERP for your desired search terms, but once you do, the payoff is huge and long-lasting.

Many small business owners are put off from SEO because they think it’ll take years of grinding and heaps of costly content to get seen in search results. But that’s simply not true – increasing your rank can be a straightforward process, with the right strategy employed.

If you’re looking to drive more targeted traffic to your site but not sure where or how to start, LS Media and Marketing is a Hampshire based marketing agency with talented team of specialists that can help create an effective plan for your business and put you ahead of your competitors with SEO that succeeds. Why not get in touch today to see whether we’d be a good match for your organisation.