You have definitely seen and clicked on a SERP. As a matter of fact, chances are that you have clicked on several today.

Each time you type or voice a Google search, for instance, the results are displayed on a search engine results page. Apart from the search results proper, there are several other on-page elements you can find on a SERP.

In this article, you will learn more about what a SERP is, and everything you can expect to find on a typical Google SERP. Let's dive in.

What Is a SERP?

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It's the page with all the search results returned on any search engine.

Google SERP cropped

You see one every time you conduct a search. Essentially, whenever you conduct a search, your search engine shows you a SERP. The page typically contains links to websites related to your search, but many modern search engines also show some additional content.

Everything You Can Find On a Typical SERP

Here is everything you can expect to find on a typical SERP.

1. Ads

Ads are among the first features you will notice on most SERPs. Whether it's Google Ads or sponsored results on Bing, there are no escaping ads on SERPs. They often appear at the top and at the bottom of SERPs for many search queries or keywords.

Google ads

These paid ad results are usually placed above other organic search results. You can easily identify them because they are labeled as Ad. For instance, if you search for the query "web host", you will notice that the first few results are all ads, displayed according to the highest bidder.

There are also ads at the bottom of the page. On the other hand, if you search for the term "work from home", you will notice that there are no ads, just organic search results. You may want to rank for keywords that have no ads if you want to enjoy maximum page one visibility.

Related: Search Engines to Find More Than What Google Shows

Sometimes when you run a search, you will notice a snippet of content, usually at the top of the SERP. On Google, you'll find it just above the People also ask box. These featured snippets try to answer your question by summarizing the key points related to your query.

Featured snippets

Additionally, featured snippets typically contain definitions, tables, steps, and lists to reduce looking through all results. Featured snippets can also contain the featured image from the original blog post article.

3. Image Pack

If you search for "cute dogs" for instance, Google shows you an image pack of different dog breeds. These images are also displayed at the top of the SERP, just like featured snippets. Returned images are pulled from the search engine's images database.

Image pack

With the Feedback option, you can flag or report an image for being sexually explicit, harmful or dangerous, hateful, or something else. You can click View all to view the entire gallery.

4. Video

If you enter "Maradona goals", you will get the main video result at the top of the SERP, and other similar videos below it.

Videos

Video results are usually pulled from YouTube. They show the thumbnail, title, duration, and date the videos were uploaded. You can click the View all button to expand the results.

If you enter "YouTube SEO" for instance, and scroll down the SERP, you will come upon a section showing video results. The first video also displays a carousel showing different timestamps.

Video carousel

They showcase key video data such as thumbnail, duration, topic, channel, and date. You can tap on the Next button to view more videos.

6. Knowledge Panel

For most searches, your search engine will return a dedicated section on your search topic. On Google, this is called a Knowledge Panel. Knowledge Panels contain key information about entities in Google's Knowledge Graph. You can find Knowledge Panels on the right-hand side of your SERP.

For instance, if you search for "Google", Google's Knowledge Panel will show you information such as Google's website, Wikipedia link, date founded, parent organization, CEO, headquarters, subsidiaries, founders, social profiles, and a "People also search for" box.

7. Local Pack

Also known as the Map Pack, a Local Pack is the top three results you see on a SERP when you search for terms that your search engine considers to be local (usually nearby locations that are closest to you).

For instance, if you search for "salons near me", you should get a SERP showing three salons that may be near you. They're usually the first three results.

Local packs

They contain rich snippets showing average rating and number of reviews, years in business, location, phone numbers, and opening and closing hours, website links, and directions.

Related: The Best Google Search Cheat Sheet: Tips, Operators, and Commands to Know

8. Local Teaser Pack

Local teaser packs are similar to local packs, but are more focused on reservation-style businesses. They provide you with key information regarding businesses such as hotels and restaurants. On Google, businesses registered with Google My Business take priority.

A local teaser pack will be shown to you when you enter a search like "hotels near me".

Local teaser packs

Local teaser packs often return four top-rated results. For a "hotels near me" search, you can expect to find key information about dates, budget options, guests, reviews and ratings, pool, parking, Wi-Fi availability, as well as directions.

9. Top Stories

Top Stories is another prominent SERP feature. You can get top stories results for certain searches about trending topics or news items about people, events, things, or places.

Top stories

Top stories feature trending news from three leading publications with links to read the full articles, and the option to view more similar results. It also indicates the time of publication, so you can have a sense of recency.

Another prominent feature you can find on most SERPs is the People also ask box. It contains dropdowns showing similar questions that other people are also asking about.

People also ask

These can help you to narrow down your search or to explore other topics related to your search query. If you click on the dropdown, it will expand to reveal questions that people frequently ask.

This is slightly different from the Related searches section at the bottom of the SERP. Instead, this section lists searches related to your main search.

Related searches

11. Other SERP Features

Sitelinks can take you to a specific page on a website. If you search for MUO, for instance, sitelinks can take you to the Windows or Android section.

Search results can also show shopping results that you can click to buy products online. Some SERPs can even serve up Twitter cards when you search for a particular person or company.

Improve Your Search Results With Knowledge of SERPs

These are all the essential features you can find on a typical SERP. Search engines can add or remove features at any time. You can enrich your search experience by looking out for and maximizing these SERP features.