SERP stands for Search Engine Result Page, and it defines your website’s rank on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others. These search engines follow a set of rules to index websites and rank them according to quality. As a result, websites have to follow SERP trends to rank their sites as high as possible.
These trends keep changing every year as search engines update their algorithms, hoping to increase content quality by moving relevant websites higher. So naturally, the higher your site is ranked, the more clicks it gets, affecting overall success. Here are the top SERP feature trends to look out for in 2022.
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are the most popular SERP feature taking over SEO practices in 2022. They revolve around ranking your content so well that it becomes the best-ranked site positioned in the zero ranking. That way, whenever someone searches for a query using terms such as “best of”, “Who is,” how-tos, and others, your content is displayed at the top of the result page.
Featured snippets come in many different formats, but no matter what form you use, the goal is to optimize your site to become the best-ranked site regarding a specific subject. If you take the zero ranking position, your site will get more organic traffic and a trust factor boost.
Knowledge Panel
Google uses multiple ways to display information, and the knowledge panel is one of the most effective methods. It provides users with a quick overview of the most important details about places, people, companies, and things. The knowledge panel pops up on the right of the search results displaying key information about the inquiry, such as important dates and a short overview of the topic.
The knowledge panel is especially useful for mobile device users, as it makes it easy for users to get all essential details immediately. It’s powered by Google’s Knowledge Graph, which gathers facts from multiple sources such as Wikipedia, CIA World Factbook, and many others.
Image by Photo Mix from PixabayShopping Results
Getting your product offer to appear in the shopping results could also blossom your SERPs. The feature is critical for new eCommerce websites looking to establish themselves in the markets. It allows your products to appear as image cards containing information such as the product name, price, and overall user rating.
It’s a paid SERP feature that requires a Google Ads account and active PPC campaigns. If you’re running on a tight budget and paid ads are not an option, you can still outrank all organic searches for free.
People Also Ask
People Also Ask, PAA, or Related Questions, as this SERP feature is known, works similarly to featured snippets. It displays the same type of information whenever a user clicks on the Related Questions option. That way, if you can’t optimize your site well enough to appear in the Featured Snippets, you can optimize it so that it appears within the Related Questions feature.
However, don’t expect the process to be easy or simple, as you’re trying to outrank millions of other websites. Getting your content into this section will require a lot of time and effort. It will take months of work, but the rewards are well worth the effort if you manage to do it.
Sitelinks
Sitelinks are special Google-created links featured under website results. They are designed to help people click on a link and land on a specific page rather than navigate from the website’s homepage. For example, let’s say that you’re looking for a particular sports shop. After you’ve entered the name of the store in the search bar, and Google displays the page, you can see links to subpages such as “outlet,” “men’s clothing,” “Woman’s clothing,” etc. Simply click one of these links, and you are taken directly to the page.
You can do the same for your website too. For it to work, Google has to index all of your website pages correctly, so you have to structure your pages with that in mind.
Related Searches
If you scroll down to the bottom of Google’s SERPs, you will see a list of “related searches.” These are the phrases people also use to find the same information. The great thing about this SERP feature is that it can give you a different view of the topic, usually involving things you didn’t think of. Google guesses what you want to see and shows you related searches that might come in handy.
Photo by Myriam Jessier on UnsplashLocal Pack
Having a Local Pack set up is a must if you want your business to appear in SERPs. It helps put your business on the local map and allows people to find your offers. For example, if you own a hardware store and potential buyer types “hardware store near me,” your business will appear on the list of local hardware stores.
The displayed information includes a map with locations and pins and a rating scale. If someone clicks on your business, they are taken to your Google My Business profile to learn more details about your store, including working hours, phone numbers, popular times, and others.
Video
The Video SERP feature allows your videos to appear on SERPs among organic results. If you manage to optimize the description, your video will pop up on the first page of the “video” section on Google. The video can be hosted on popular platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Odysee, and it can also be an embedded video on your website.
Image Pack
If a search query refers to photos or the search is best described with images, the results are featured as Image Packs. You can optimize your images to make them appear higher on Google SERPs by using descriptive file names, image captions, alt tags, etc. It’s also important that the copy used for the image is search-friendly and preferably contains a keyword you’re using across the page.
Conclusion
There are many ways you can increase your website’s rankings in Google SERPs. However, remember that hundreds of other website owners are doing the same, so don’t expect things to be easy. SEO is an ongoing process that never stops, especially if you want your content to appear on the first page on the Google SERPs. Don’t hesitate to contact an expert to get valuable tips on your SEO journey. Good luck!