A Visual Guide to Google SERP Features

SERP features are elements on the Google search results page, in addition to the organic search results, that enhance the user experience or provide supplemental information related to a user's search query.

This Visual Guide to Google SERP features is a comprehensive glossary of the SERP features, both mobile and desktop, and each entry includes a brief explanation of the feature and a screenshot of it.

Organic Result Features - Desktop

HTTPS
Image Thumbnail
Reviews (Stars)
Search Box
SiteLinks
Structured Snippets
Twitter
Video Thumbnail

The Structured Snippets feature may appear in your search results if the website added structured Schema markup data to its webpages. The type of Structured Snippets that can appear include: How-to, Event, FAQ, Recipe, Video, Article, Product, & many more. In the case of a listed event, the feature may show along with a link to bring you to the event's webpage on the site. When the Structured Snippets feature does appear, it can be seen under the description displayed with each result.

Sites that make use of your personal data, such as credit numbers, for example, are encouraged by Google to use a more secure communication protocol known as HTTPS. As such, sites that make use of HTTPS are generally considered more secure and trustworthy, which is important information for users.

Google will indicate if a site is using HTTPS within the search results. Under the link for each result is the page's URL. Sites employing this protocol will display with "https" as part of the URL.

During a search, certain sites may display on the results page with a small picture to the left. This picture is known as an Image Thumbnail and gives you a sneak peek at the content displaying on the page. If you click on the image, Google will direct you to the page displayed in your results.

If a website showing in your results contains reviews/ratings that Google deems valid, Google may present its Reviews (Stars) feature underneath the meta description. The Reviews feature displays the rating on a 1-5 scale with both a graphic star and numeric representation. Also displayed is summary information that includes the total numbers of reviews or votes that comprised the rating, etc.

At times, Google will present you with the ability to do a search within the pages of a displaying website directly from the results page. When doing so, Google will present a search box under the meta description with the word "Search" followed by the name of the website displayed in light gray.

You can think of it like this: Instead of having to go to the site to use the site's internal search tool/box, Google, when displaying the Search Box, allows you to do so right from the results page. It's as if the website is showing its internal search box as part of the displaying result.

To help refine your search, Google may display the featured pages of a site as independent and clickable links within the result. Displayed under the result's description, these links take you directly to a page within the site.

Another way to think about this feature would be to imagine the homepage of a site and the directory presented (often at the top of the page). Instead of having to go to the homepage in order to use the site's directory and end up on the desired page, Google, via SiteLinks, enables you to access your desired page destination directly from the results page.

The Twitter feature on the results page presents you with a site's corresponding Twitter feed. This allows you to view the site's tweets directly on the results page.

Google's Twitter feature appears directly under the result. The feature has the appearance of being its own independent result with a clickable link to the site's Twitter page displaying on top of the page's URL (the way any result would show on the results page). Next to the URL, you can expect to find Twitter's icon.

Below the URL is a sliding carousel where you can glance at the site's recent tweets. Using the arrow buttons on the sides of the carousel, you can move from one tweet to the next. The time of the tweet's posting, as well as a direct link to the specific tweet, are also presented.

The Video Thumbnail feature is similar to an Image Thumbnail. Like the Image Thumbnail, it appears to the left of the result under the link to the site itself. It too, when clicked on, will bring you to the site's page.

The Video Thumbnail can be differentiated from the Image Thumbnail in that it is of rectangular shape (not square) and presents an inner rectangle (light black, bottom right) that displays a play button icon next to the length of the video.

Knowledge Graph Features - Desktop

Knowledge Graph:

Direct Answer
Carousel
Carousel (White)
Featured Snippet
Knowledge Panel
Explore Panel
Google Reviews

In addition to the search results Google provides you with, they may also include the Knowledge Panel feature. Appearing to the right of the results, the Knowledge Panel offers you additional information about the topic you have just searched for. Beyond offering additional topical information, the Knowledge Panel can present you with relevant images, other searches associated with the topic, links to associated information, etc. With such a vast array of information being presented, you can expect this feature to take up a considerable portion of the right-hand side of the results page.

Note, there are a variety of Knowledge Panel types that may display, including those that contain nutrition facts, recipes, etc.

Appearing most often when you enter a question into Google, the Featured Snippet feature presents you with a short summary of information related to your query. If Google thinks that you might be looking for factual information it may attempt to provide it for you without you having to scour the displaying results. As such, your query need not necessarily be in the form of a question for a Featured Snippet to appear, so long as Google has reason to believe that you are interested in acquiring some form of practical knowledge.

You might think of this feature as Google thinking, as well as acting on your behalf. Instead of you having to sift through the results to find the more suitable information, Google does it for you.

Google will comb through the possible results and determine which site presents the most relevant content. Google will then include a 'snippet' of actual content from this choice site and display it in a box at the top of the results page. Included in this box will be the link and URL associated with the site, should you wish to see more of the site's content on the subject.

Appearing at the top of the results page, above the organic results, the Carousel feature presents information that would most likely be found in list form. This one-row list is commonly left/right clickable via the arrows on either side of the carousel. For certain searches (like for songs), the results appear in a carousel in 4-in-a-row columns.

The Carousel feature predominantly displays images with ancillary text underneath each image against a white background. The carousel is commonly known to appear in relation to movie titles, musical artists, book titles, etc. Generally speaking, this form of carousel appears when there are more than four results to display within it.

Clicking on any of the items within the carousel is equivalent to performing a new search, causing search box at the page's top will now list to name of the item clicked. While the carousel will remain, the results under it will now be for the item you just clicked and not for the original search. As a general rule, a Knowledge Panel will display as part of the new results.

The Carousel (White) feature is very much similar to the Carousel (Black) feature in that it too displays information commonly found on lists, displays at the top of the page above any results, and is left/right scrollable.

The most noticeable difference between the Carousel (Black) feature is that this carousel displays results against a white, not black, background. Also, the Carousel (White) feature presents results in more than one row, making it a taller feature.

Inverse from the Carousel (Black), the Carousel (White) predominately displays written content with images serving as accents. Clicking on an item on this carousel is also the equivalent of performing a new search and will also display results related to the clicked on item (with the carousel remaining at the page's top). Common searches that bring this feature up are those related to song lists.

A Direct Answer provides a short answer to a query. As such, this feature is very much like a Featured Snippet. Like a Featured Snippet, a search does not necessarily need to be in question form for a Direct Answer to appear as long as Google thinks you are looking for something to be answered. When the feature does display it does so in the form of a gray-bordered box, often but not always, appearing above the results. Similar to Featured Snippets, the content shown in a Direct Answer does not come from a result appearing on the page.

At the bottom of the feature, a ‘People also search for’ list will often appear.

This list can appear in two ways.

A list of questions: When this happens, clicking on one of the questions will produce a short answer.
A list of images: When this happens, Google will include text under the image which explains the connection between the listed image and the query (e.g. spouse, brother, etc.).

The Explore Panel can be compared to a mix between a Knowledge Panel and a Featured Snippet. It takes a thing and allows the user to further "explore" it with links to related topics. This feature used to appear to the right of search results and can now be found in the main search results column. Usually appearing for common noun queries, the Explore Panel contains a brief definition of the noun, the webpage where the definition was taken from, images above the defiinition with when clicked on will take you to the Google Images tab, and below the URL are drop-down menus with related topics to the noun each with its own small description and a link to a different webpage.

Google Reviews is where you can find reviews from users based on their experiences on places they visited. Reviews are on a five-star rating scale and can include text and images.

Reviews can be found in a business' Knowledge Panel. Clicking on an individual review takes you to the full review in Google Maps. Clicking on 'View all Google reviews' brings up a popup page where you can view all the reviews as well as filter the reviews by category or sort them by most relevant, newest, or by highest and lowest ratings. There are also buttons to rate and write your own review or to post photos of a business without leaving a review.

Direct Answer Types:

Currency Conversion
Dictionary
Disambiguation
SOS Alert
Flights
General Converter
Health Feature
Info
Map
Nutrition
People Also Ask
Sports
Stock
Translation
Weather
WhenIs

The Currency Conversion feature will provide you with currency exchange rates. Using the white boxes below the rate you can enter custom amounts in order to generate a specific conversion. You can also change the selected currencies by using the up/down arrows located to the right of each listed currency. This form of a Direct Answer will also display the conversion trends between the two selected currencies.

The Dictionary Direct Answer will provide you with a word's definition, form, syllable breakdown, pronunciation, etc. At times, the Dictionary Box will also include an audio clip of the word's pronunciation as well.

The Dictionary Box can be expanded by clicking on a grayscale arrow at the bottom of the box. Once expanded, the box will provide you with the word's origin, a menu with which to translate the word, and a graph showing the commonality of its usage over time.

Any given search may relate to more than one entity. For arguments sake, say you searched for "The Rangers," which in the United States are both a Hockey and Baseball team. How is Google to know which "Rangers" your query is referring to? Instead of Google deciding which entity your search relates to, it may offer a box, called the Disambiguation Box, that lists the various possible entities you might have been referring to in your search.

The Disambiguation Box includes the header "See results about," and is displayed to the right of the presented results.

The Flights Direct Answer provides you with flight information between two destinations. At times, the box will indicate the duration of the flight and provide you with a list of direct flights and the days of the week they are scheduled for. Upon clicking the grayscale down arrow at the bottom of the box, this format will expand to present more flights, as well as connecting flights when applicable. Other formats of the Flights Box allow you to specify airports, departure/arrival times, and provide pricing information as well. There is even a Flights Box that will provide the status of a current flight, gate information, and all.

The General Convertor is a Direct Answer type that allows you to convert between various sets and units of measurement. This feature contains a clickable menu that enables you to select a measurement category (i.e. Area, Speed, Volume, etc.). Once a measurement category is selected you can then toggle through the clickable menus located in each of the two conversion boxes. Upon selection, you can then enter the numeric value you wish to convert into another unit of measurement.

Often making use of Wikipedia, the Info Box provides you with a quick glance at a topic or item's essential information. The Info Box can include pictures, maps, relevant links, etc. and is displayed to the right of the results. In a way, the Info Box serves as a miniature Knowledge Panel.

Allowing you to make use of Google Maps without leaving the results page, the Map Box presents you with the various route options between locations. Like Google Maps, you can select from various modes of transportation (i.e. public transportation, walking, etc.) as well as from a variety of routes (if applicable). The feature lists the amount of time each route will take you, as well as the main thoroughfares it utilizes. Clicking on a route will provide you with a detailed set of directions. For public transportation you can also select the time of departure or arrival that suits you best.

By clicking on the map, or the directions icon, you will be directed to Google Maps, where you can make use of the full map features Google offers you.

The Nutrition Box allows you to determine various categories of nutritional value (i.e. calories, fat content, carbohydrates, etc.) found in foods. The box enables you to determine the calories of a food by various quantities (i.e. per 100 grams, per unit, etc.). Depending upon how the feature displays, you may be enabled to select specific types of the food shown by using the up/down arrows to pull up a menu. This selection often includes brand-specific versions of the food when applicable.

In an attempt to help you find the information you are looking for, Google has developed the People Also Ask feature. Like other Direct Answers, this feature presents itself within a gray box, however, instead of it being one box that displays information, the People Also Ask presents a series of expandable boxes. These boxes fall under a heading that says, "People also ask." This is essentially what People Also Ask is, a presentation of questions other people have asked that are similar or directly related to the one you entered originally.

When the feature first appears, all that is visible are the related questions per se. Should one or more of these questions pique your curiosity, you can expand the box by clicking on the down arrow to display content that answers the question. These answers are essentially a Featured Snippet in so far as they present a snippet of content from a webpage along with a link and the webpage's URL. Similar to a Featured Snippet, the site displayed, along with its content, is not necessarily found on your current results page. After expanding a question, the feature dynamically adds in three additional questions related to the expanded question.

There are actually a few types of Sports Direct Answers. Essentially, this box provides you with a sport team's schedule. There are a variety of formats that this feature may appear in. Some formats display a team's schedule for the next few games along with a down arrow that expands the box to show additional upcoming games. Other formats may prominently show the next upcoming game and even provide a link to buy tickets (here too the box can be expanded to see additional games). Other formats may show the results from the team's last game, or last few games, etc. There are three additional tabs of data: News, Standings, and Players.

Like it sounds, the Stock Direct Answer provides information on stocks. This Direct Answer will show you a stock's price as well as trends via the graph presented. You have the option of seeing the stock's performance over various periods of time, such as a day, a month, a year, etc.

Should your search relate to the meaning of a word in another language, Google may translate the word for you in a Translation Box in order to avoid you having to search through various websites. Just by way of example, if you should query "How to say hi in Japanese," Google may display a translation of the word "hi" into its Japanese equivalent.

The Translation Box, when it does display, appears above the accompanying results. You will notice your original query word/phrase within the left-hand box, with its translation appearing in the right-hand box.

A good way to think about this box is like a miniature Google Translate. Like Google Translate itself, this feature offers you the option of switching between various languages. Often, you can listen to an audio clip of the translated phrase and can even enter a word to be translated via voice by clicking on the microphone icon. There’s also a Copy symbol to copy the translated word. The Translation Box also offers a Copy symbol to copy the translated word and, at its bottom, the option of seeing the results within Google Translate itself.

Entering a query related to the current and/or upcoming weather of a location may result in a Weather Box being displayed. It should be noted that your query may not need to include a location per se such as, "current weather in New York," so long as you are logged into Google and your current location can be ascertained. In this case, Google will display weather information related to the location it picked up via your account.

Appearing above any corresponding results, the Weather Box will display the current temperature of the given location, selectable in either Celsius or Fahrenheit. To the right of the temperature, the box will indicate the current humidity level, wind speed, and chance of rain. Underneath this information, you can select to see graphic trends of either temperature, precipitation, or wind. Upon selection, an area chart will display the relevant trends over the past couple of hours (note, the box appears with temperature selected by default).

Just below the graph appears a forecast of the upcoming weather for the next few days. The forecast presents the day, an icon representing the weather, and the expected high and low temperatures. Each day's forecast is clickable. Upon clicking an upcoming day, the box will take the current weather information being displayed and replace it with the weather information pertaining to the day you selected.

Performing a search related to when a prominently recognizable or significant day (i.e. New Year's Day) or event (i.e. a national election) takes place could bring up the WhenIs Box feature. Exactly that, the WhenIs Box presents the date, and when applicable, the location of the occurrence associated with your query. Certain queries, where the date of an occurrence is so integrally connected to it, such as "New Year," may show with a WhenIs Box even without your indicating a desire to know its date in the search. If an occurrence should last more than one day, the WhenIs Box will indicate the occurrence's start as well as end date in the box.

For queries that relate to common medical conditions/symptoms, Google has developed a Health Knowledge Panel aimed at providing users with quick access to medical information. The feature is a custom form of a Knowledge Panel and appears to the right of the results. Displaying a short summary of the condition, the panel also includes information related to symptoms, treatments, demographics, commonality, medications, etc. The feature makes use of a variety of functionalities that often include expandable tabs and carousels.

For queries related to a recent or local crisis, Google's Alert SOS provides information that will be helpful to people in the affected area. For example, if there was an earthquake, it will display a map that indicates the quake's epicenter and reach. Included above the map is the earthquake's magnitude along with the time it took place. Below the map, Google provides users with a carousel indicating related quakes along with an expandable card which presents recommended actions to take after being in an earthquake. Similar in appearance and functionality to a mobile Knowledge Panel, the feature appears above the organic results.

Page One Extras - Desktop

Ads
Discover More Places
Google for Jobs
Google Posts
Images (Box)
Local Pack
Top Stories
Related Search
Things to Do
Images (Carousel)
Videos (Carousel)
Hotel Pack
People Also Search For
Reserve with Google
Events
Local Services Ads
Podcasts
Product Carousel
Product Listing Ads

For any given query an ad, or a series of ads, may appear. Ads resemble organic results in many ways as they appear with a blue link to a site that sits below a URL. There is even information that mimics an organic result's description appearing under the blue link. What essentially differentiates an ad from an organic result is the black tag containing the word "Ad" that appears to the left of the URL. If you should happen to see an ad tag in a color other than black, don't be surprised, Google often tests different colors.

Like an organic result, clicking on the header of an ad will bring you to a website. You can expect to find ads at either the top or bottom of a results page (or both at the top and the bottom).

Should you perform a query that Google thinks relates strongly to visual content, i.e., images, an Images (Box) feature may appear. You might think of it as Google abiding by the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Should Google think that seeing an image is your end goal, or if images would enhance your understanding of a topic, the Images (Box) may display. Just by way of example, say you did a search for "sports stadium," there is a good chance that Google would display the feature for such a query. This is because while it is entirely possible that you are interested in information about sports stadiums, there is a relatively equal chance that you are actually interested in seeing what various stadiums look like.

The Images (Box) can serve as a means of shifting your query to be related to visual results. The feature appears as rows of various images related to your search and can display above or within your results. On top of the pictures per se is a heading that displays your query with the addition of "Images for" placed before it (in the above-mentioned example the header would read "Images for sports stadium"). The heading is a clickable link and once clicked on will bring you to all of Google's image results, as normally found when clicking on "Images" on the results page menu bar (appearing directly below the search box). Should you do so, you will notice that the images appearing within the Images (Box) can be found within the Images results page. Alternatively, clicking on any of the images within the Images (Box) will also redirect you to the Images results page as well. Additionally, you will find “filter bubbles” below the header and above the images which when you click on one will bring to the Google Images results “filtered” to that filter bubble.

If Google determines that you are possibly searching for a local establishment (i.e., a store, restaurant, government offices, etc.) it may display its Local Pack. This feature is quite similar to a Map Box, however, its purpose is entirely different. Like Map Box, this feature displays with a map at its top. However, the intention of the map is to indicate the location of local establishments, not merely to help direct you to a given location. As such, the map within Local Pack indicates where local establishments related to your search may be found. Note, a Local Pack may display even if a location is not mentioned within your query. Should you query "schools," there is a strong chance that a Local Pack may appear, as Google recognizes that the term "school" generally connotes local education establishments.

Local Packs can appear either on top of or within your search results. The map presented in the feature will display three local establishments and is for this reason sometimes known as the "3-Pack." Under the map, Local Pack generally presents the name, address, and phone number for the establishments listed. Often, review stars as well as opening hours will appear here as well. To the right of each establishment is a link to find directions, much as you would find within a Map Box. Should there be a website associated with the establishment, a link to the website, as shown by a graphic of the Earth above the word, "Website," will show between the establishment's information and the link to obtain directions.

If there should be more than three establishments associated with your query, the Local Pack feature will display a link to view them at its bottom where it says ‘"More places." Clicking here will redirect you to a new results page that shows a full-on list of local establishments (including the three original results, although not necessarily in that order). These results follow the same display format as the ones within Local Pack per se. To the right of the results is a large map indicating the locations of the showing establishments. This page can also be brought up by clicking on any of the results showing within a Local Pack.

When performing a query that Google sees as relating to current events and news happenings, a Top Stories (Box) will often appear. Within the Top Stories (Box), between two-three links to news articles will be presented. These news results will display slightly differently than an organic result. Though they will have a blue link header, there is no URL beneath it. Instead, you will find the name or logo of the news outlet shown in green (next to which, in light gray, Google will tell you how long ago the article was posted). The results are shown in one of two ways: either one on top of the other or side-by-side. Both ways would show an image or a video thumbnail.

The Top Stories (Box) shows a header, which states "Top Stories," which leads the news results displayed within the box. If there are other new results related to your query, a blue link will be displayed at the bottom of the box stating "More for" followed by the exact search term you entered. Clicking here will bring you to the News results as normally found when clicking "News" in the menu bar under the results page's search box.

At the bottom of nearly every results page will be a list of searches related to your query. Known as Related Search, these clickable blue links indicate other search topics related to your own. Related searches are found at the bottom of the results page and are separated from your results by a thin gray line. Related searches are presented by a header reading, "Searches related to" (followed by the exact text of your original query). Clicking on any of the related searches will bring up a new results page for the search just clicked on.

Google Posts is a quasi-social media element that allows content to be published directly to the SERP. Appearing for select entities, the feature presents cards of content that can either appear within organic results or within Google's Knowledge Panel. In either case, the feature is presented via cards on a carousel. Clicking the heading of the feature, which is also the name of the shown entity, brings the user to a Google page that presents all of the posted content in chronological order. Clicking on a specific card brings the user directly to the content on the entity's site.

Sometimes shown on the SERP as Top sights in ‘x,’ the Things to Do feature presents users with a display that contains a carousel of local sights/attractions as related to the location mentioned in the query. Clicking on one of the sights/attractions brings up a unique Local Finder that displays a full series of local sights within cards that contain a description of the sight, a user rating, etc. Also included in the feature are ‘filter bubbles’ which when clicked display a filtered version of the Local Finder. Unlike the standard Local Finder, this element is actually a page within Google's Travel Guide feature. As such, clicking on the link to additional sights at the box's bottom will bring users to the location's main page within the Google Travel Guide.

Currently showing for queries, Google may supplement the results shown within a Local Pack by offering additional locations at the bottom of the SERP. The Discover More Places feature presents these locations within a card-like carousel with each element being a different category. Upon clicking on a given carousel element, a Local Finder will appear, making the specific locations within the category visible.

For queries related to job opportunities, the Google for Jobs feature may display. Appearing at the top of the SERP, the feature generally contains three job listings related to the query. Pulled from job listing sites, the results include the job title, the company offering the job, when the listing was posted, on what site the listing can be found, etc. The feature also allows the user to filter results in a variety of ways and to save job listings for future viewing. Clicking on one of the three results, or on the link at the bottom of the feature, brings a user to the full listings. With the full job listings shown, a user can see job descriptions, view filtered results, etc.

Similar to the Images (Box), this feature might appear in queries that Google thinks relates strongly to visual content. But instead of showing all the images in a box shape, the carousel version shows the images one next to each other with an arrow you can click to view more.

On top of the pictures per se is a heading that displays your query with the addition of "Images for" placed before it (in the above-mentioned example the header would read "Images for sports stadium"). The heading is a clickable link and once clicked on will bring you to all of Google's image results, as normally found when clicking on "Images" on the results page menu bar (appearing directly below the search box). Should you do so, you will notice that the images appearing within the Images (Box) can be found within the Images results page. Alternatively, clicking on any of the images within the Images (Box) will also redirect you to the Images results page as well. Additionally, you will find “filter bubbles” below the header and above the images which when you click on one will bring to the Google Images results “filtered” to that filter bubble.

For queries where Google decides you want to view something more visual, a video box might appear.

On top of the videos is the header "Videos" and below it are three video boxes with an arrow on the right you can click to side-scroll to view more. The top third of the video box is the video's thumbnail image with a black transparent smaller box in the video's bottom-left corner displaying the video's runtime. Below the video is the video's title, the channel name (if applicable), the website the video came from, and the upload date. The video itself and the title are both clickable and will take you to the URL where the video is embedded.

Find hotels in your area or in almost any city right on the Google SERP. This feature is like a mashup of Google Flights and the Local Pack, where you can choose the dates and the number of people staying. You'll see a map of the area on the right-hand side with multiple price tag labels and on the left-hand side four featured hotels (unlike the Local Pack which shows only three listings). These featured hotels show the hotel name, an image, the price, the review rating, and some special features the hotel offers (e.g. Free Wi-Fi).

Clicking on the map will take you to google.com/travel/hotels/ with more filter options and the ability to zoom in on the map and click on the hotel map labels. Clicking on the featured hotels will bring you to the hotel's landing page with a link to book a room.

The People Also Search For box, like the name implies, displays other entities that are related to the current search. It usually appears in the Knowledge Panel and it displays as images with the entity's name below each image. It can also appear as multiple rows of images in the main organic results each with a label that represents how the entities are related to the search. Clicking on an image brings up a Google search for that entity. Clicking on the 'See More' button brings up a Google search for the label.

Book dinner reservations, appointments, classes, and more using Reserve with Google. When searching for a business on Google Search, you might find a 'Reserve a Table' or 'See Schedule & Book' button in its Knowledge Panel. Clicking on the button takes you to a calendar form where you can choose a time and date to reserve. This feature can also be found in the Google Local Finder, Google Maps, and Google Assistant.

Events is a feature that highlights events in an area created by users in Google Maps. On the desktop SERP, they appear in a grid format with the name, date, time, and location of the event appearing in each cell. Clicking on an event takes you to the event page with a more detailed description. Once there, you can get tickets, share the event, or scroll down to see more events as well filter the events using the tabs in the top and left-hand side of the page.

When searching for a local service like a plumber, locksmith, or electrician, the Local Services Ads (LSA) box may appear. The LSA box appears at the top of the SERP, above the organic listings. Inside, are about three service listings, each with a business name, review rating, location of service, and service hours. Hovering over each listing brings up more information such as the number of years in business and the phone number. Each listing will most likely have a Google Guaranteed stamp of approval which means that Google guarantees that these businesses will provide a good service and if not, Google will pay you back. Clicking on any of the listings takes you to the listing's page which includes more information on the business and individual reviews.

The Podcast feature displays episodes from a podcast series. It can appear for searches related to the podcast series or related to topics that the series discusses. The podcast episodes are featured in a carousel. Clicking on an episode takes you to the episode inside Google Podcasts where you can start listening to the episode or listen to other episodes.

When searching for a product, a Product Carousel may appear. A Product Carousel can appear in three forms: Popular Products, Best Products, and Similar Products. This carousel will display products from the Google Merchant Center. Each product can include the product's name, an image, the price, and a review rating. The carousel includes search refinement bubbles to filter the product results by price, type, color, etc.

Product Listing Ads (PLAs) are a special ad type for products. Appearing on the top of the search results for product queries, this ad type will show an expandable list of products. Clicking on a product will take you to the product's landing page. Each product can include the product's name, the website's name, an image, the price, a review rating, and additional info like 'Free Shipping'.

Other Organic Statistics - Desktop

Results Per Page
Number Results
Title Length
Description Length
Home Page Results
Landing Page Results

Results per page refers to the average number of organic results that appear on a search engine results page (SERP). This includes only organic results. Consequently, ads or any results that are part of Google's special SERP features, such as the results within News Box, are not taken into consideration when calculating Results Per Page. Featured Snippets, on the other hand, do count as the #1 result.

Not every results page displays the same number of organic results. As a rule, there are between 5 - 12 organic results on a single results page. However, not every organic results count appears in equal proportions. Number Results presents the percentage of occurrences for each organic results count. In real terms, Number Results tells you the percentage of results pages that contain 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 organic results.

Note, a results page that presents 11 or 12 organic results denotes the presence of In-depth Articles, a series of links to articles related to your search. As it stands, a results page cannot exceed 10 organic results unless In-depth Articles are present. The links that are part of the feature are counted within organic results as they appear, to the exclusion of a gray heading, exactly as organic results.

Each organic result is headed by a title that serves as a clickable link. However, not every title is of equal length.

Title Length measures the average number of characters found within the titles heading organic results on the SERP.

Under an organic result's URL is a short description related to the web page that comprises the result. This description generally presents information related to what can be found on the web page. As with titles, the descriptions attached to results are not always of equal length.

Description Length identifies the average number of characters within organic result descriptions.

A home page is the main page of a website and as such, it is the site's first page. Google, however, does not automatically present home pages within search results. As a general rule, results are comprised of both home and landing pages.

Home Page Results presents the percentage of home pages within search results.

Landing pages refer to pages within a website other than the homepage. When navigating a website directly, they are the pages that a user can access only after having already landed on a home page. Within any search, however, Google may display landing pages within the results, thus affording the ability to bypass a site's homepage.

Landing Page Results indicates the percentage of landing pages presented within organic results.

Organic Result Features - Mobile

Image Carousel
HTTPS
Image Thumbnail
Reviews (Stars)
Search Box
SiteLinks
Structured Snippets
Twitter
Video Thumbnail
Web Stories

When the information within a result has a strong association to images, a carousel may be displayed. Carousels display a series of horizontally scrollable images. A title with a tappable link is usually found below each image, however, tapping anywhere within a frame results in the landing page. The dimensions of frames within a carousel may vary, but are usually uniform within any given series.

Carousels can also appear to be unrelated to a specific site. Should a query produce a list with strong image association, for example, "Movies 2016," an expandable box may display at the top of the results page with many rows of vertically scrollable images and links.

Sites that make use of personal data, such as credit numbers, for example, are encouraged by Google to use a more secure communication protocol known as HTTPS. Sites that make use of HTTPS are generally considered more secure and trustworthy, which is important information for users.

Google indicates when a site is using HTTPS within the search results by including the full URL beginning with the https address.

Search results may include a small picture to the right of the page description. These graphics are referred to as Image Thumbnails and can provide a visual hint as to what users can expect to find by clicking through to the page. Tapping on the image has the same effect as tapping the page link, causing Google to open the landing page.

Google wants its users to know if a site is considered authoritative or widely recognized online. Sites that are considered as such are indicated with a gray down arrow to the right of the result's URL. If you click on the down arrow, a box displaying information about the website and/or the organization that owns the site will appear.

When search results contain reviews/ratings that Google deems valid, they may include the Reviews (Stars) feature. The Reviews feature displays the rating on a scale of 1 to 5 with both a graphic star and numeric representation, sometimes along with the total number of reviews or votes that comprised the rating.

Helpful search boxes sometimes display in the SERPs providing the opportunity for the searcher to delve deeper into a website directly from within the Google SERP.

Google presents the search box under the page description with the word "Search" followed by the name of the website. Users can enter a search phrase directly in that box and tap the search icon to be directed to search results within the website.

To help refine user search, Google may display the featured pages of a site as independent and tappable SiteLinks within the search result. Displayed under the page title, these links serve as shortcuts to the most relevant landing pages within the site. Some SiteLinks will have a dropdown menu to more related SiteLinks.

The Twitter feature in search results presents a company's or organization's Twitter feed, allowing searchers to view tweets directly on the SERP.

The feature includes Twitter's icon, the Twitter account logo, name, and breadcrumb, along with tweet content (i.e. text and images if published) in a carousel format. Tapping the account name or breadcrumb launches the Twitter account tweets screen and tapping individual tweets launches the featured tweet.

The Video Thumbnail feature is similar to an Image Thumbnail. It is rectangular with an icon representing a play button and appears to the right of the result, below the title linked to the video. To the left of the Video Thumbnail is the date it was posted and the video description. Tapping the thumbnail launches the video.

Web Stories are a full-screen visual format using video, images, audio, and text to create a Story about a piece of content. After clicking on a Story, you can view multiple slides of content by either tapping or swiping to the next slide. You'll know if a landing page is a Web Story by the image to the right of the meta description with the Web Story icon in its bottom-right. You can find Web Stories on Google Search, Google Images, and Google Discover.

Knowledge Graph Features - Mobile

Knowledge Graph:

Direct Answer
Featured Snippet
Knowledge Panel
Explore Panel
Google Reviews

In addition to the search results Google provides you with, they may also include the Knowledge Panel feature. Appearing at the top of the page, the Knowledge Panel offers you additional information about the topic you have just searched for. Beyond offering additional topical information, the Knowledge Panel can present you with relevant images, other searches associated with the topic, links to associated information, etc. The mobile version of this feature is distinct from its desktop counterpart where the information in the Knowledge Panel can be divided into different tabs. Clicking on a tab brings up more specific results and what tabs appear depend on the query.

Note, there are a variety of Knowledge Panel types that may display, including those that contain nutrition facts, recipes, etc.

Featured Snippets are short, direct answers shown by Google at the top of the first page of search results in response to search queries in the form of questions or which imply a search for specific information. Featured Snippets can come in many forms. The simplest and most common is the paragraph version which shows the simple text from a URL page that answers the user's question. Clicking on the link will bring the user to the exact spot on the page the text was taken, plus the text will be highlighted in yellow making it easier to find it.

Other types of Featured Snippets include lists (bulleted or numbered), tables, and videos.

With so many other features that look similar, you can tell a Featured Snippet from the 'About Featured Snippets' link at the bottom right of the box.

Appearing at the top of the results page, before the results per se, the Carousel (Black) feature presents information that would most likely be found in list form. This one row list is left/right scrollable.

You can expect the Carousel (Black) feature to predominantly display images with ancillary text underneath each image against a black background. The carousel is commonly known to appear in relation to movie titles, musical artists, book titles etc. Generally speaking, this form of carousel appears when there are more than four results to display within it.

Tapping on any of the items within the carousel is equivalent to performing a new search. You will notice that the search box at the page's top will now list the name of the item you tapped. While the carousel will remain, the results under it will now be for the item you just tapped, not your original search.

The Carousel (White) feature is similar to the Carousel (Black) feature in that it too displays information commonly found on lists and is shown at the top of the page above any results. The most noticeable differences between this Carousel and the Carousel (Black) feature is that the content here is displayed on a white background and is presented vertically. Also, inverse from the Carousel (Black), the Carousel (White) predominantly displays written content with images serving as accents.

Tapping on an item within this carousel will bring up information related to the content you selected. In general, this carousel will appear when the query relates to list type information when the list series produces four items or less. There are some notable exceptions to this, for example lists that relate to songs and events, which can show with more than four results, but still display as a White Carousel (and not as the Black Carousel).

A Direct Answer provides a short answer to a query. As such, this feature very much like a Featured Snippet. Like a Featured Snippet, a search does not necessarily need to be in question form for a Direct Answer to appear as long as Google thinks you are looking for something to be answered. When the feature does display it does so in the form of a gray-bordered box, often but not always, appearing above the results. Similar to Featured Snippets, the content shown in a Direct Answer does not come from a result appearing on the page. At the bottom of the feature is a ‘People also search for’ list and, depending on the query, it will display either a short answer for each of the listed items or the connection between the listed item and the query (e.g. spouse, brother, etc.).

The Explore Panel can be compared to a mix between a Knowledge Panel and a Featured Snippet. It takes a thing and allows the user to further "explore" it with links to related topics. This feature used to appear to the right of search results and can now be found in the main search results column. Usually appearing for common noun queries, the Explore Panel contains a brief definition of the noun, the webpage where the definition was taken from, images above the defiinition with when clicked on will take you to the Google Images tab, and below the URL are drop-down menus with related topics to the noun each with its own small description and a link to a different webpage.

Google Reviews is where you can find reviews from users based on their experiences on places they visited. Reviews are on a five-star rating scale and can include text and images.

Reviews can be found in a business' Knowledge Panel under the 'Review' tab. Here you can filter the reviews by category or sort them by most relevant, newest, or by highest and lowest ratings. You can also rate and write your own review.

Direct Answer Types:

Currency Conversion
Dictionary
Disambiguation
SOS Alert
Flights
General Converter
Health Feature
Map
Nutrition
People Also Ask
Sports
Stock
Translation
Weather
WhenIs

The Currency Conversion feature provides currency exchange rates along with a convenient calculator. Users can select the currency of two countries, enter an amount in one country's currency field and the conversion automatically generates the answer. This type of Direct Answer also displays the conversion trends between the two selected currencies.

The Dictionary Box provides users with the definition of a word, along with its form, syllable breakdown, phonetic pronunciation, and sometimes an audio clip of the word's pronunciation. The Dictionary Box can be expanded by tapping the arrow at the bottom to reveal the word's origin, a translation option and a graph displaying the commonality of its usage over time.

When a search query relates to more than one entity, Google may display a Disambiguation box labeled "See results about" to provide the user with options that may help further refine the results.

The Flights Direct Answer provides you with flight information between two destinations. At times, the box will indicate the duration of the flight and provide you with a list of direct flights and the days of the week they are scheduled for. Upon clicking the grayscale down arrow at the bottom of the box, this format will expand to present more flights, as well as connecting flights when applicable. Other formats of the Flights Box allow you to specify airports, departure/arrival times, and provide pricing information as well. There is even a Flights Box that will provide the status of a current flight, gate information, and all.

The General Converter enables conversion between various units of measurement. A menu offers measurement categories such as length, temperature, volume, etc. With a category selected, custom values can be converted from one unit of measurement to another.

A Map Box presents geographic information related to a specific address or establishment. This feature includes directions, website link, tap to call options (when available), full address and an expandable section with more information about the location. Tapping Directions provides various route options, modes of transportation and schedules that can be used to navigate to the destination from current location.

In an attempt to help you find the information you are looking for, Google has developed the People Also Ask feature. Like other Direct Answers, this feature presents itself within a gray box, however, instead of it being one box that displays information, the People Also Ask presents a series of expandable boxes. These boxes fall under a heading that says, "People also ask." This is essentially what People Also Ask is, a presentation of questions other people have asked that are similar or directly related to the one you entered originally.

When the feature first appears, all that is visible are the related questions per se. Should one or more of these questions pique your curiosity, you can expand the box by clicking on the down arrow to display content that answers the question. These answers are essentially a Featured Snippet in so far as they present a snippet of content from a webpage along with a link and the webpage's URL. Similar to a Featured Snippet, the site displayed, along with its content, is not necessarily found on your current results page. After expanding a question, the feature dynamically adds in three additional questions related to the expanded question.

A Sports Box can display in multiple formats that indicate a sports team's upcoming schedule, recent performance, highlights, overall record, and standing, etc. Often, a more extensive schedule and score information are available by expanding the box.

The Translation Box offers an automatic translation of a query word or short phrase. The box presents the option to switch between other languages and often provides an audio clip of the word/phrase as it is pronounced in the foreign language.

Displaying weather forecast information, Weather Box indicates localized weather metrics as determined by the search query or by the location associated with a Google account that the phone is logged into. The box presents both current and forecasted weather that includes temperature as well as other key weather factors.

When a search reflects prominently recognizable and significant days or events, Google may display the WhenIs Box. The feature presents the date, and when applicable, the location of the occurrence associated with a query. For occurrences that span multiple days, the WhenIs Box may present both the associated start and end days.

Similar to the Health Feature on Google desktop results, Google has developed a feature aimed at providing users with quick access to medical information for queries that relate to common medical conditions/symptoms.The feature is a variation of Knowledge Panel and appears above the organic results. Like a Knowledge Panel, the feature presents tappable headings that bring up additional overlay pages. In general, Google's Health Feature includes an overview of the condition, information related to symptoms, and an outline of various treatments. The feature on mobile, like on desktop, makes use of a variety of functionalities that include expandable tabs and carousels.

Page One Extras - Mobile

Ads
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Page)
App (Box)
Discover More Places
Google for Jobs
Google Posts
Images (Carousel)
Local Pack
Top Stories
Related Search
Rich Cards
Things to Do
Images (Carousel)
Hotel Pack
People Also Search For
Web Stories
Reserve with Google
Events
Local Services Ads
Podcasts
Product Carousel
Product Listing Ads

For any given query an ad, or a series of ads, may appear. Ads resemble organic results in many ways as they appear with a blue link to a site that sits below a URL, but are the result of a paid campaign rather than organic ranking. Tapping on an ad directs a user to the advertiser's associated website, much like tapping on an organic result does.

AMP pages are those that have been optimized according to the guidelines of the AMP project, which aims at optimizing web pages for greater and more efficient mobile performance. Currently most prominent within news results, publishers who have optimized articles for AMP may have their publications appear within a news carousel with the AMP status indicated via a singular icon.

Should Google determine that a query relates to an operation that is best and/or often serviced via an app or series of apps, an App Box may display. Displaying with a single app or a variety of apps, the App Box presents applications related to the initial query. Within the feature is information related to the displaying app(s) such as price, rating, etc. Tapping on an app redirects a user to the Google Play store where the acquisition of the app is made possible.

For queries that strongly relate to visual content, the Images (Carousel) may appear. The feature appears as a row of various images related to the initial query that is presented under a heading that reads “Images.” The heading serves as a tappable link that directs a user to image results, which can also be accomplished via tapping the “VIEW ALL” heading. Specific images can be enlarged by tapping on the image, and this often results in additional related images being displayed beneath it.

The Local Pack, also referred to as the 3-Pack, displays a set of three local establishments related to the original query. Beyond the listing itself, which can include reviews, hours of operation, pricing, etc., a Local Pack pins the listed establishments within a map. The descriptive information attached to listings within the Local Pack can take on industry-specific formats, website links, tap to call icons, and include filtering capabilities.

Displaying news stories within either a carousel, a series of cards, or a combination of the two, the mobile version of News (Box) presents news content that is closely related to a query. The feature appears under a heading that reads “Top stories” and, irrespective of display format, includes the name of the publication along with when the article was published, as well as its AMP status when applicable.

Under a "Related searches" heading, the Related Search feature displays search terms that are closely associated with the original query. Each associated, or related, search term is presented as an independent card that when tapped opens a new search results page for that specific search term.

The Rich Cards feature is a box that displays content in a user-friendly and visually enhanced manner. The visuals within the cards are supported by ancillary content that may include reviews, when the content was published, etc. The content category of a series of Rich Cards is indicated via a heading that displays on top of the carousel (e.g. Videos, Recipes, etc.).

A quasi-social media element, Google Posts allows entities to place content directly onto the SERP. Appearing within the organic results themselves, the feature lists individual pieces of content (i.e. posts) within a carousel. Tapping on the entity's name found directly above the carousel brings the user to a Google page the contains the full series of posts in chronological order. When an individual post is tapped however, the user is directed to the entity's site that contains the post's full content.

Appearing on the SERP in an expandable box that resembles a mobile Knowledge Panel in its functionality, the Things to Do feature (also known as, Top sights) displays sights/attractions related to the location mentioned in a query. Upon expanding the box, users are shown a full listing of top sights for the location that exists within Google's Travel Guide. Each sight is presented within a card that contains an image of the sight, its name, user rating, and a short description. Tapping on a sight/attraction directly from the main box on the SERP directs the user to the associated Local Knowledge Panel.

For queries that bring up a Local Pack, Google may display additional locations at the bottom of the SERP. The additional locations are initially presented on header cards that form a carousel. Each card represents a category that is accented by images of the locations within the category. Upon tapping a card, the specific locations appear in a list of what are for all intents and purposes, Rich Cards.

The mobile version of Google for Jobs contains three job listings related to a query that appear beneath a scrollable filter. Each listing contains the job title, employer, location, the site containing the listing, when the listing was first posted, etc. Expanding the feature causes the full list of jobs to appear. Within the full listings, tapping a specific listing brings up an overlay page that contains a job description, etc. A user can additionally reach the full job listings by tapping on one of the three original results.

Find hotels in your area or in almost any city right on the Google SERP. This feature is like a mashup of Google Flights and the Local Pack, where you can choose the dates and the number of people staying. You'll see a map of the area on the right-hand side with multiple price tag labels and on the left-hand side four featured hotels (unlike the Local Pack which shows only three listings). These featured hotels show the hotel name, an image, the price, the review rating, and some special features the hotel offers (e.g. Free Wi-Fi).

Clicking on the map will take you to google.com/travel/hotels/ with more filter options and the ability to zoom in on the map and click on the hotel map labels. Clicking on the featured hotels will bring you to the hotel's landing page with a link to book a room.

The People Also Search For box, like the name implies, displays other entities that are related to the current search. It appears as a carousel of images with the entity's name below each image. It can also appear as multiple rows each with a label that represents how the entities are related to the search. Clicking on an image brings up a Google search for that entity. Clicking on the button with the label name and the search icon brings up a Google search for the label.

Web Stories are a full-screen visual format using video, images, audio, and text to create a Story about a piece of content. They appear in a 2x2 grid with the title 'Visual Stories'. After clicking on a Story, you can view multiple slides of content by either tapping or swiping to the next slide.

Book dinner reservations, appointments, classes, and more using Reserve with Google. When searching for a business on Google Search, you might find in its Knowledge Panel a 'Reserve a Table' or 'See Schedule & Book' button. Clicking on the button takes you to a calendar form where you can choose a time and date to reserve. This feature can also be found in the Google Local Finder, Google Maps, and Google Assistant.

Events is a feature that highlights events in an area created by users in Google Maps. On the mobile SERP, they appear in a carousel format of four events per slide with the name, date, time, and location of the event appearing in each cell. Clicking on an event takes you to the event page with a more detailed description. Once there, you can get tickets, get directions, share the event, or search for more events.

When searching for a local service like a plumber, locksmith, or electrician, the Local Services Ads (LSA) box may appear. The LSA box appears at the top of the SERP, above the organic listings. Inside, are two or three service listings, each with a business name, review rating, location of service, service hours, and a call button. Hovering over each listing brings up more information such as the number of years in business and the phone number. Above the listings will most likely be a Google Guaranteed stamp of approval which means that Google guarantees that these businesses will perform a good service and if not, Google will pay you back. Clicking on any of the listings takes you to the listing's page which includes more information on the business and individual reviews.

When searching for a product, a Product Carousel may appear. The Product Carousel can appear in three forms: Popular Products, Best Products, and Similar Products. This carousel will display products from the Google Merchant Center. Each product can include the product's name, an image, the price, and a review rating. The carousel includes search refinement bubbles to filter the product results by price, type, color, etc.

Product Listing Ads (PLAs) are a special ad type for products. Appearing on the top of the search results for product queries, this ad type will show a carousel of products. Clicking on a product will take you to the product's landing page. Each product can include the product's name, the website's name, an image, the price, a review rating, and additional info like 'Free Shipping'. Clicking on the 'View More' button takes you to a carousel of Google Merchants, with the main product on top and similar products below.

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