SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page, which refers to the page displaying search results from search engines such as Google or Bing. Over time, these displayed results have significantly evolved with the inclusion of ‘verticals’ like images, news, Google Maps, videos, and products. SERP is an essential concept for anyone reliant on organic search traffic and seeking to improve their website’s ranking in search engines.
The Definition of SERP
The search engine results page (SERP) is the page displaying results generated by a search engine in response to a search query. These search results fall into two categories: organic search results and paid search results. Previously, only web pages were displayed as search results, but nowadays, advertisements, images, videos, products, news, and FAQs are also shown.
Organic search results are displayed based on their relevance to the search query. Each result typically shows the title, a link, and a short description with matching keywords highlighted in bold. This description is usually based on the meta description but is sometimes generated by the search engine itself.
Paid search results are determined through an auction. The quality of the advertisement and the bid amount for a click compete per advertiser for the positions. Thus, a high-quality advertisement with a lower bid can still appear at the top. The quality of the advertisement is determined by the click-through rate (CTR) and its relevance to the landing page.
The History and Evolution of SERP
The way we search and what we search for has significantly changed over the years. From only text to images and videos, from news articles to specific products, and from desktop to smartphone. The following milestones transformed SERP:
- 1996: Sergey Brin and Larry Page launch Backrub as a project during their studies at Stanford University.
- 1998: Launch of Google! Beta: 10 search results per page.
- 2000: Launch of Google AdWords, a pay-per-click advertising service. Initially, it was only available to 350 customers.
- 2001: Launch of Google Image Search, providing access to more than 100 million images.
- 2004: Launch of local search results, initially displayed on the left side of the screen.
- 2005: Launch of Google Universal Search, integrating images, videos, and news into standard search results rather than accessing them through a tab. Websites could suddenly rank with new types of content.
- 2007: Launch of the iPhone by Apple, making “mobile” a new way to search.
- 2008: Rebranding of Froogle to Google Product Search, the precursor to Google Shopping.
- 2008: Launch of Android by Google. The goal: “smarter mobile devices utilizing users’ location and preferences.” Android also collected significant amounts of user information.
- 2009: Launch of Google Suggest, inspired by Ask Jeeves. A precursor to the later “people also ask.”
- 2011: Launch of authorship as part of Google Plus (or Google+), a social network also launched by Google in 2011. By assigning authorship to content, it gained more authority. Authorship was used until 2014 as a way for content creators to highlight their content and improve CTR.
- 2012: Launch of Google Now, enabling voice search. Until 2014, this was a ‘soft launch’; the functionalities became widely available in 2014.
- 2012: Launch of Google Shopping with the pay-to-play model.
- 2012: Launch of Knowledge Graph, filled with information from various sources.
- 2013: Expansion of search results with an interactive “Local search carousel.” Additionally, “quick answers” were introduced, the precursor to “quick answer boxes” and “featured snippets” for simple questions like: which city in the Netherlands has the most sunshine?
- 2013: Launch of the Hummingbird algorithm. A significant update to how Google determines search results, using machine learning and conversational search.
- 2015: Launch of the RankBrain algorithm, also utilizing machine learning and AI, specifically designed to interpret “ambiguous queries.”
- 2015: Following consumer trends, Google goes mobile-first.
- 2015: Google removes the right-side Google Ads and launches Expanded Text Ads above organic search results.
- 2015: Launch of “quick answer boxes.”
- 2016: Quick answer boxes are officially launched as “featured snippets.“
- 2016: Launch of Google Discover, formerly known as Google Feed, with a personalized stream of articles, videos, and news.
- 2016: Google’s SERP showed 7 ads, 12 images, and 9 organic search results.
- 2017: Google updates the ‘Ad‘ label, making Ads less distinguishable from organic search results.
- 2022: Google introduces “infinite scroll” for desktop users. No more 10 results, but unlimited scrolling. The goal is fewer clicks.
- 2024: On 26 June, Google announces the phase-out of infinite scroll. Reason: search results are faster when not automatically displaying results the user may not be ready for.
- 2024: Google’s SERP now shows 32 Ads and Google Shopping Listings, 77 images, and 8 organic search results.
Comparing 2024 to 2016, the first search result has dropped by 500 pixels, just above the fold.
Enshitification of Google’s SERP
The rise and growth of Google were driven by the failure of Yahoo!, a prominent competitor. Yahoo transformed from a simple search engine into a portal, where search results were buried under news and ads. This is precisely where Google is now. The theory of enshitification is fully applicable to Google’s SERP:
- Top product made for users (1998, launch of Google Search)
- Top product made for businesses targeting users (2000, launch of Google Ads)
- Mediocre product purely made for shareholders, at the expense of the user and business experience (2024).
As someone commented on the video below: Google started as a library. It is now a shopping mall.
