Overview of Google SERP Features

Ads Bottom

Google Ads can show up on both the top and bottom of the search result pages. Ads are identified by a green “Ad” box next to it. More than one ad can be displayed on the SERPs. These paid results are ranked based on their relevance to the search query, bidding, quality score and other factors.

Google Ads on the bottom of search results on Desktop

Ads Top

Google Ads can show on both the top and bottom of the search result pages (SERP). Ads are identified by a green “Ad” box next to it. More than one ad can be displayed on the SERPs. This causes the organic results to be pushed down further on the page and impact click-through-rates, especially on mobile devices. Google Ads that are displayed are ranked based on relevance to the search query, bidding, quality score and other factors.

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Events

When searching for events in a specific location, Google will often show a list of events within organic results. The list consists of three events related to the search, and on the bottom gives the option to ‘Search more events’. Each result shows the name of the event, date and time, address and location, as well as a thumbnail with a small map of the location.

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FAQ

If a page contains a section with a list of questions and answers related to a specific topic, it can be considered a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page. When using the proper schema markup, these pages can have a rich result in Google Search. The FAQ rich results appear as a list of questions with drop-down answer boxes, just below the meta description.

FAQ section in Google search results

Flights

For searches related to trips and flights to specific locations, Google can display a section showing multiple flights. This section includes options for which airports to fly from/to, and which dates. Each flight will have information such as the airline, length of the flight, whether it’s a direct or connecting flight, and the price.

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Image Pack

Image packs appear as a row of images and can appear anywhere in the organic results. When an image is clicked on, it leads to a Google image search instead of a particular site.

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Knowledge Cards

Knowledge cards appear at the top of search results and cover general information from Google’s own database. What appears in Knowledge Cards varies greatly, but could be for example a calculator, Google translate, or other useful tools.

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Knowledge Panel

The knowledge panel is information taken from Google’s Knowledge Graph, and is displayed on the right hand side of the search results. The information shown is from Google’s own index, or trusted human-edited sources like Wikipedia. The knowledge panel has different information and components based on the topic and search intent.

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Google Maps: Local

The local pack is usually displayed when a search query has local intent. This feature appears as a map on top of the page, with three Google Maps locations listed below. The map itself will have pins for each location listed, while each result has additional information like an address, business hours, ratings and others depending on the type. These results are particularly dominant on mobile devices.

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Google Maps: Local Teaser

Local teasers are very similar to the local packs, but are more oriented towards reservation-based businesses like hotels and restaurants. The feature shows a map with different results listed on the map’s left hand side. The results usually appear with information like pricing, reviews and a description as well as filtering options like date range, ratings and more. The map itself will show multiple pins with the pricing for each location.

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Podcasts

The podcasts feature is a carousel, and can appear within the organic results for relevant keywords. The carousel shows various suggested podcasts, each card including the title, a date, a short description and length of the podcast. Clicking on a podcast card will take visitors to Google’s Podcast section where the episode is available to listen.

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Popular Products

For purchase related searches, Google will often display a carousel of popular products related to the keyword. This can appear anywhere in the SERPs. This feature includes the name of the product, an image, reviews and price. When clicked on, it takes you to a new Google search for that specific keyword.

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Related Questions

Related questions or ‘People Also Ask’ shows a list of questions that Google thinks is relevant to the search query. These can be mixed into organic results so their position on the SERPs varies. When clicked on, the question expands to display an answer, usually taken from a featured snippet for that particular query. This can be valuable if you own a featured snippet for more visibility.

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Reviews

Review stars are often displayed for products, recipes and other items. The rating is usually the average combined ratings of the item, taken from review websites. shown between the URL and the snippet of the search results. This often results in higher click-through-rates.

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Shopping

Paid shopping listings and Product Listing Ads (PLAs) are either positioned on the top or the right hand side of the search results. These are paid placements similar to Google Ads and are displayed for queries that have high commercial intent. For each product, there is a picture, pricing, seller and other information that varies, like reviews, shipping details and such.

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Sitelink Searchbox

As an addition for site links, Google will sometimes show a new search box for specific results above the site links. This allows users to do a direct search on that website, without ever leaving the Google search results. You can power the search box with your own search engine by using structured data.

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Thumbnails

Image thumbnails can appear on the left of organic results where Google believes it is relevant. These almost always appear for recipes, but can be displayed for certain products and other items.

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Tweets

Tweets are shown as a carousel of three recent tweets that are relevant to the search query. This could be tweets from a famous person when searched for their name, or from different twitter users if the query is a trending topic. These are mixed in with organic results and positioning varies.

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Apps

Apps are often displayed on mobile devices, above organic results. This feature shows three mobile apps, including an icon, the app name, and ratings. Along with the three apps displayed, there is an option to show more apps. When clicking on an app, the visitor is taken to the designated app’s download site. This depends on the operating system performing the search, hence an iPhone user is taken to Apple’s App Store, while Android users go to Google Play.

Apps section in Google search results on mobile devices

Carousel

Carousel results are often shown on the top of SERPs when the search query is for certain content types, like movies, tourist attractions, recipes and others. These are both shown for informational and commercial results, and when clicked on, it opens a new SERP for that specific search query.

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Direct Answer

A direct answer box is a part of Google’s Knowledge Graph. These appear at the top of the search results with a direct, quick answer to a question. Search queries that include a question about real-world things will most likely return a direct answer box.

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Discover More Places

For searches related to food and restaurants, a carousel can appear on the bottom of the SERPs. This carousel is similar to related searches, showing an image and a search term relevant to the original search. Clicking the image card generates a new Google search for that search term.

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Featured Snippet

Featured snippets are Google’s way of providing the most relevant answer to a search query in the most direct way possible. Information is taken directly from a website, usually one that’s already ranking in the top five organic results. They can appear in different forms, like a paragraph, bulleted or numbered lists, and tables. These always appear on top of organic results, but still below paid ads.

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Featured Video

Featured snippets can display a video snippet instead of text to provide an answer to the user’s search query. These appear at the top of the SERPs, and jumps to a specific point in the selected video. Keywords that include “How to” are likely to display a featured video due to the high video intent.

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Filter Menu

The Filter menu appears at the top of the Google SERP and allows users to refine their search results based on specific criteria. This feature is particularly common for searches related to shopping, news and images. Users can filter results by a variety of parameters including date, price range, colour or the type of content they are interested in (e.g. forums, reviews). The filter menu helps users to quickly find the most relevant information or products according to their needs.

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Forum and Discussions

For searches that are likely to benefit from community insight or experience, Google may include forum posts and discussions in the SERP. This section aggregates relevant threads and discussions from various forums and discussion boards. Each entry typically includes the thread title, a short snippet of the first post or highlighted reply, and the source website. This feature allows users to explore community-driven advice, opinions, and solutions. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the list of posts if any of them are linked to your domain. These do not count as regular organic positions.

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Hotel Pack

The Hotel Pack is often displayed for searches related to lodging and hotels in a specific location. This feature is similar to Google Maps, showing four hotel results and a large map of the location with price tags for each hotel in the area. Each result shows the hotel name, price, rating, and additional information depending on the hotel. This section can be filtered by various criteria such as guest favorites, budget options, luxury stays, etc. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the hotel pack. We do this by matching your Google Business Names. These do not count as regular organic positions.

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Image Product Pack

The Image Product Pack is a specialized set of features that appears for product-related searches, displaying a series of product images from a specific site with information such as price and availability directly in the SERP. Clicking on an image opens a larger view with additional information and options to visit the product page. This visual display allows users to quickly browse products without navigating away from the search page. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the product listing if any of the cards are linked to your domain. We check against your Google Business Name(s). These do not count as regular organic positions.

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Job Posting

For search queries related to job seekers, Google has created a special feature for Job Listings. These are displayed on top of the SERPs, showing three job listings taken from different recruitment sources. Users can use filtering to refine their job search even further, or choose the “more jobs” option on the bottom for a full list of related jobs.

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Most Popular Carousel

A large carousel at the top of the SERP shows other popular results related to the keyword. Each card shows an image and a title/keyword. Clicking the card generates a new search for that keyword.

Most Popular Carousel in Google search results on Desktop

News

The News feature, or Top Stories, appears as a block of news articles that are relevant to the search query. They are timely and usually come from trusted news sources. For example, top stories appear for searches related to trending topics, major companies, or celebrities. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the various news features, if you have any. These do not count as regular organic positions.

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Popular Stores

Popular Stores is a feature that showcases popular retail brands and stores relevant to the user's search query. It provides quick links to the brand's website or specific products matching the search criteria in a battle card-style feature at the top of the SERP. This feature is designed to help users navigate directly to popular and trusted stores, potentially streamlining their shopping experience. They replace the top regular organic results and are therefore counted as regular organic positions.

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Popular Trips

For searches related to a specific destination, a carousel with three suggested trips can appear anywhere in the SERPs. Each card shows an estimate of how long the trip takes, images from some of the stops, and a short description of the tour. Most of these results are written by Google or generated from actual visits. This feature is unique to mobile searches.

Popular Trips in Google results on mobile devices

Refine Carousel

Google occasionally shows a refined search carousel that appears on the bottom of the SERPs. This can display different search refinements depending on the search query. For example, Google can show refinements by material, type, brand and more. Each card in the carousel shows an image and a search term. When clicked on, a new search is generated for that specific search term.

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Related Search Carousel

A carousel of related searches often appears on the bottom of the SERPs. Several carousel snippets can appear on the same result page. The list shows related search terms and includes an image or an icon for each query. These can appear for brands, programs, cities and places, and following the link will generate a new search for that specific search term.

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Research Product

For product-related queries, Google sometimes displays a carousel of articles related to the product. These are often reviews or comparisons from a variety of sources, such as industry websites or blogs. The results that appear in these carousels show the name of the article, the featured image, and the publisher's name and date of publication. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the list of products if any of the cards are tied to your domain. These do not count as regular organic positions.

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Results About

For searches related to entities, Google will often display a small box with a related search. On desktop, this feature appears on the right hand side of the SERPs, below the knowledge panel when both are shown. On mobile devices however, this feature appears on the bottom of the page. Clicking the link will generate a new result page for the related keyword.

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Rich Product Info

Rich Product Info is displayed for searches that are directly related to products. This feature displays detailed information about a product, including its price, availability, product reviews, ratings and a brief description. It can also include images of the product. This rich information is sourced from multiple sites and displayed directly on the SERP, allowing users to compare products at a glance without having to visit individual sites. These rich extensions are discussed on the Google Developer Page!

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Searches by Photos

For searches with a local intent on mobile devices, Google will often display a carousel with images of results near a location. This can be restaurants or movie theaters, for example. The carousel will usually show an image, name of the place, rating and distance from the user. Clicking the card will bring the user to the result’s Google My Business page.

Search by Photos in Google results on mobile devices

Shop the Look

Shop the Look and Popular Styles are fashion and home search features that present curated outfits or room looks that match the search query. Users can see how individual products look in a styled ensemble or room, with links to purchase the featured items or explore similar styles. This interactive element not only provides inspiration, but also makes it easier to find products that match the user's aesthetic preferences. In AccuRanker, we can determine if any of the featured products are from your site. We check against your Google Business Name(s).

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Stores

Stores feature appears when users search for items that can be found in online stores, such as fabric items. They replace the top regular organic results and are therefore counted as regular organic positions.

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Things To Do

For search queries related to travel or things to do in a certain country or city, Google will often display four popular attractions relevant to the search. This includes an image of the attraction, the name and a short description. When clicked, Google makes a new search for that attraction. Below the four results shown, Google will link to their travel section, with more attractions or a travel guide for the specific location.

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Video

Video results can appear anywhere in the SERPs. These are enhancements to organic results, and display a video thumbnail on the left side of the result.

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Video Carousel

A bundle of videos can be displayed together in both a horizontal and vertical video carousel. This carousel can be displayed throughout the SERP for different types of searches. The cards show a thumbnail of the video, a title, the uploader, and the host site. In AccuRanker, we can determine your position in the list of videos if any of these are linked to your domain. These do not count as regular organic positions.

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