Dissecting the Search Engine Results Page

This is a short post about search engine results pages (SERPs).  This is important because we have to remember that rankings by themselves are not the objective.  

We cannot control how many people search for a given term.  The search volume is what it is.  However, we can increase the click through rate by writing compelling headlines and descriptions.  We can also potentially increase conversion rate by setting up the visit by writing a good "ad" for the page.   

So let's take a quick look at the listings shown in the SERPs.  A listing is made up of a title/heading, a description and a url.

The heading of the SERP is usually the page title tag and the description is the META description.

Keywords that are used in the search phrase are presented in bold as shown above.  The url can also have an influence on click through rate.  Studies have shown that searchers prefer shorter and cleaner urls.