SERP Analysis

The SERP analysis: How to create content for position 1

The SERP analysis helps you find out what your text should look like in terms of content and format in order to be able to compete with the top 10 search results for the selected keyword.

The fact that quality content is the best way to good rankings and future customers is no longer a secret. It pays off to occupy top positions: the first three organic search results share 75.1% of all clicks, and position 1 alone receives over 30%.

But how do you make it into the top five - or better: onto first place? How do you create content that gives people exactly what they want and can keep up with the best search results?

To beat the competition, you need to know what they have to offer. The answer lies in the search engine result pages (SERPs) themselves. The pages ranking there provide you with the requirements for your content. This process is also called SERP analysis.

The search results in the SERPs correlate with the type of query, are sorted by relevance, and usually contain both organic and paid results. For example, in a transactional product search, Google usually displays appropriately labeled ads and Google Shopping Ads with products from various competitors above the organic results. Depending on the search intent, special SERP features are added that match the user's search query, such as featured snippets or answer boxes, knowledge cards/panels and videos, images or articles/news.

This reduces the number of organic results displayed per SERP. Google displays a maximum of ten snippets of this type.

Screenshot of a SERP for "Search Engine Optimization" with Knowledge Panel on the right side of google.com.

This means that there are three ways for a website to get into the SERPs:

1. paid ads

2. organic results

3. SERP features

In online marketing and especially in search engine optimization (SEO), the SERPs are of central importance, as high rankings can significantly increase organic traffic and thus the overall success of a website.

Components of snippets

A SERP snippet usually consists of the following three elements:

1. meta title

2. meta description

3. URL

4. example of a snippet:

In search engine optimization, snippets are an important tool for website marketing because they can have a positive impact on the click-through rate (CTR). If they give users the impression that they have found the right page to answer their query, they are more likely to click on this result. The meta title and meta description should therefore be precise and compelling, and should also contain central keywords. Both can be specified in the meta tags of a web page, where they can be found by Google and other search engines. In most content management systems (CMS), this is possible under a "Meta tags" section.

Ultimately, however, the quality of the website's content determines user satisfaction. In the context of snippet optimization, it is therefore important not to promise more than the content of the website actually delivers.

It should also be noted that the length of the meta title and meta description should not exceed 580 pixels (about 70 characters) and 1,000 pixels (about 160 characters). Otherwise, Google will shorten them in the SERPs, which means that significant parts of the information may be lost.

Especially for larger websites, search engines sometimes add site links below the page description, which can be helpful for users as they give them a better overview of the website's content.

Rich snippets also contribute to this. These extensions supplement the SERPs with additional information such as user ratings, event information, personal data or breadcrumb navigation. Rich snippets are based on structured data that is inserted into the source code of the web page. Google can then analyze the data and display this information in its search results. This can have a positive effect on the click-through rate and thus on the traffic of the respective website.

Why identical search queries can lead to different SERPs

Since each search engine has its own algorithm, the SERPs of Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. often differ significantly when searching for the same keywords. Most search engines hardly disclose any information about the weighting of the individual ranking factors that lead to the different results, in order to prevent search engine spamming.

But even when using the same search engine, such as Google, search results can differ significantly from user to user. This is because the world's leading search engine personalizes its search results based on the user's search history, current location, and other factors.

Additional Google SERP features

Google's SERP features improve the user experience by displaying additional results that also match users' search intent and help them find what they are looking for. Google is also answering more and more user queries directly or independently of traditional search results through newly introduced features such as knowledge cards and answer boxes. The idea behind this is that users don't have to visit another website if they have very specific questions, which can be answered directly on the results pages. This is not only helpful for users, but also benefits Google itself.

How do you best use the SERP analysis in neuroflash?

Enter your focus keyword and click analyze.
Take a close look at the SERPs and visit some of the pages: What do you notice? How is the content structured in the displayed articles? Are there a lot of lists?
How many images are used? How many paragraphs are there? How many words are used in the article? This is all important information so that you can now write an even better article with neuroflash!
Take a SERP and let neuroflash rewrite it directly, so you have your Meta Title and Meta Description ready in one click!

This feature is part of our Power Plan (100 requests per month) and our Premium Plan (unlimited requests per month).