The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query. Modern SERPs include organic results, local map packs, ads, featured snippets, and increasingly AI-generated answers.
A Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page returned by a search engine after a user submits a query. Modern Google SERPs are complex, multi-feature pages that include far more than simple blue-link results: paid search ads (top and bottom), a local map pack (for location-intent queries), featured snippets (direct answer boxes), People Also Ask dropdowns, Knowledge Panels, shopping results, image carousels, video carousels, and increasingly, AI-generated Overview sections.
Understanding what appears in the SERP for a given keyword is essential to SEO strategy. A keyword like 'best restaurant near me' is dominated by map pack results and review sites — trying to rank a service page for it is ineffective. A keyword like 'how to optimize a website for SEO' is dominated by informational content — a product page won't rank. The SERP tells you what type of content Google has determined the query deserves.
SERP features above the organic listings — ads, map packs, featured snippets, AI Overviews — mean that even a #1 organic ranking may appear below the fold. For local service queries, the map pack is typically the most visible element, with 3 listings above the organic results. This is why local SEO (and specifically Google Business Profile optimization) is so high-value — it targets the most prominent section of the most important local SERP real estate.
The introduction of Google's AI Overview feature (SGE, now broadly rolled out) is reshaping SERPs. For many informational queries, an AI-generated answer now appears at the very top of results, synthesizing content from multiple sources and sometimes significantly reducing clicks to the pages it draws from. This shift makes structured data, authoritative content, and entity signals increasingly important for maintaining visibility.