What is a SERP feature?

A SERP feature is any result on a Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) that is not a traditional organic result. The most common SERP Features are:

  1. Rich Snippets which add a visual layer to an existing result (e.g., review stars for product ratings)
  2. Paid Results that are bought by bidding on keywords (e.g., AdWords or Google Shopping)
  3. Universal Results that appear in addition to organic results (e.g., image results, new results, featured snippets)
  4. Knowledge Graph data which appears as panels or boxes (e.g., weather, Celebrity Knowledge Panel)

In the early days of Google, every result on the SERP looked the same, and these traditional organic results have not changed much in appearance over the years.

2009

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2016

serpresultitem2016.png?9e84e54

However, beginning with AdWords in 2001, Google has been very busy adding other non-organic results into the SERP.

How can I discover which SERP features my site has?

In Moz Pro's Keyword Explorer, you can find out which of your tracked keywords trigger a SERP feature. Britney Muller explains how:

What are some of the most popular SERP features?

The table below shows 16 SERP Features that commonly appear in Google SERPs. The icon shows how we identify them in Moz Pro. For examples of even more SERP Features, see the Mega-SERP: A Visual Guide to Google blog post.

Adwords (Bottom)


Description

Traditional AdWords ads come in many flavors now, but the most common type appears at the top and/or bottom of the left-hand column, above and below organic results. Each ad has a colored [Ad] label next to it.

Ads push organic results down the page and can impact CTR (especially on mobile browsers).

Appearance

Obtainability

“Ads are ranked primarily based on how relevant and useful they are to what the person searched for, your bid, and a few other factors.” - Google Support

Adwords (Top)


Description

Traditional AdWords ads come in many flavors now, but the most common type appears at the top and/or bottom of the left-hand column, above and below organic results. Each ad has a colored [Ad] label next to it.

Ads push organic results down the page and can impact CTR (especially on mobile browsers)

Appearance

Obtainability

“Ads are ranked primarily based on how relevant and useful they are to what the person searched for, your bid, and a few other factors.” - Google Support

Image Pack


Description

Image packs are results displayed as a horizontal row of image links, which click through to a Google Images search. Image packs may appear in any organic position.

Appearance

Obtainability

Image Packs are special results that appear for specific searches where Google deems that visual content would be valuable. They use ranking rules beyond the core organic algorithm.

With image content, it is recommended to follow the following best practices (learn more about optimizing your images here):

  • Descriptive file name
  • Descriptive alt text
  • Human-readable URL
  • Optimized image size
  • Title attribute included

In-Depth Article


Description

For broad or ambiguous terms, Google may return a block of "in-depth" articles, which are almost indistinguishable from organic results. They follow somewhat different ranking rules than core organic results, and are dominated by large publishers. Each block of three articles occupies only one organic position.

Appearance

Obtainability

In-Depth Articles are almost exclusively won by large, authoritative publishers. They also commonly share these attributes:

  • Long-form content (2000-5000 words)
  • Schema article markup
  • Authorship markup
  • Unique, high quality writing

Learn more here.

Knowledge Card


Description

Knowledge Cards (part of the Knowledge Graph) cover a lot of ground, from semantic data from human-edited sources (such as WikiData), to semantic data extracted from the Google index, to private data partnerships.

They typically appear at the top of the SERP on a desktop search.

Appearance

Obtainability

All Knowledge Card results are either based on human-edited data or appear as a result of data agreements with partners. For these reasons, appearing in a Knowledge Card is out of reach for most sites.

That said, it is useful to understand which keywords are affected by Knowledge Graph results, as knowing this can help you prioritize keywords to target, as well as understand how Google stores entity data about the world.

Knowledge Panel


Description

Knowledge Panels (aka Knowledge Graph), like Knowledge Cards, extract semantic data from a number of sources including human-edited sources like WikiData, data extracted from the Google index, and private data partnerships.

They typically appear to the right of the organic results for a desktop search.

Appearance

Obtainability

All Knowledge Panel results are either based on human-edited data or appear as a result of data agreements with partners. For these reasons, appearing in a Knowledge Panel is out of reach for most sites.

That said, it is useful to understand which keywords are affected by Knowledge Graph results as knowing this can help you prioritize keywords to target, as well as understand how Google stores entity data about the world.

Local Pack


Description

For keywords that Google deems to have local intent (think ‘gastroenterology specialists in Seattle’ or ‘gastroenterology specialists near me’), the SERP will often contain a Local Pack containing the three physical locations Google deems most relevant to the keyword.

These features dominate the SERP, especially on mobile.

Appearance

Obtainability

Local SEO has changed dramatically in the past couple of years, and local features are evolving rapidly. Especially if you have a brick-and-mortar business, it's important to be very familiar with Google's local space.

Local SEO is an entire discipline within itself, but a great place to start is our Local Learning Center.

Local Teaser Pack


Description

Similar to a Local Pack, this is a three-pack of local business results (mainly hotels and restaurants) shown on a map,with additional information below like hours of operation, reviews, and images. Options to sort (e.g., by price or rating) are also available.

Appearance

Obtainability

Local SEO has changed dramatically in the past couple of years, and local features are evolving rapidly. Especially if you have a brick-and-mortar business, it's important to be very familiar with Google's local space.

Local SEO is an entire discipline within itself, but a great place to start is our Local Learning Center.

News Box


Description

Time-sensitive and newsworthy topics may generate a block of results from Google News. Since the "In the news" update in late 2014, a wider variety of sites are eligible to rank in the news block.

Appearance

Obtainability

Getting into Google News results is a very different (and more transparent) process than organic results. Learn more here.

Reviews


Description

Review stars and rating data are sometimes displayed for products, recipes, and other relevant items. Review/rating data is shown between the destination URL and snippet.

Results with review stars get higher CTR.

Appearance

Obtainability

Google’s rules on which results are eligible for stars are not published, and differ by industry and vertical. At the very least, schema markup for reviews must exist on the page.

Learn more here.

Shopping Results


Description

Paid Shopping results or Product Listing Ads (PLAs) sell products directly with rich information, such as images and pricing.

Appearance

Obtainability

Similar to AdWords, Shopping is a paid placement.

Whether or not you are in the paid search business, it is a good thing know when you are competing for organic results against keywords with paid results.

Learn more here.

Tweet


Description

In 2015, Google began displaying tweets directly in SERPs, mixed in with organic results. Unlike Google+ results, Twitter results do not seem to require, or be affected by, personalization

Appearance

Obtainability

Twitter results in SERPs aren't "organic" in the general sense, but they do strengthen a brand’s visual presence on the SERP and perhaps perceived relevancy.

Learn more here.

Video


Description

Video results (especially YouTube) may display a thumbnail. They used to be a true vertical but are now more of an organic enhancement.

Appearance

Obtainability

Video results will only appear for certain keywords. At the very least, video schema markup must exist on the page.

Learn more about Featured Snippets

5 Steps to Surfacing a SERP Feature Strategy - STAT Blog

Featured Snippets: What to Know & How to Target - Whiteboard Friday

How to Optimize for Google's Featured Snippets [Updated for 2022] - Moz Blog