What a SERP can contain
- Organic results: the regular, unpaid listings with a title, URL and description.
- Ads: search ads at the top and bottom, marked “Sponsored”.
- AI Overviews: AI-written summaries that cite several pages.
- Featured snippets: a short answer taken from one page.
- Local pack: a map with nearby businesses.
- People also ask: related questions that expand into short answers.
- Images, videos, news and shopping results, and knowledge panels about people, places and brands.
Why SERP features matter
The mix of features decides how many people click on the organic results at all. A search that shows ads, a map and an AI Overview leaves less room for regular results, while a question may send most clicks to a featured snippet. Before you target a keyword, look at its SERP to see what kind of content ranks and which features you could appear in.
No two people see exactly the same SERP: results change with location, language, device and search history.