What Is a SERP Analysis & How Can You Do One?

What Is a SERP Analysis?

A hunt motor results page (SERP) study is nan process of evaluating nan top-ranking results for nan keywords you’re targeting. To find what type of contented you request to create to fulfill readers’ intent

Plus, it lets you find what elements nan existing contented is missing. So you tin supply much worth to users and perchance outrank your competition.

Here’s an illustration of what this looks for illustration successful practice:

Let’s opportunity your business sells a French course, and you want to rank for nan keyword “business french.” 

Doing a SERP study will show you that users who type successful this word are looking for informative blog posts and videos. So you don’t person to conjecture astir what to create.

Why Is Doing a SERP Analysis Important?

A hunt motor ranking study tin use your keyword investigation and contented creation processes.

That includes helping you determine:

• The keyword’s relevancy: Examine nan apical results to find whether definite keywords align pinch your business goals
• The correct contented format: Discover what benignant of contented format you request to create based connected what’s showing
• What further accusation is needed: Determine what accusation nan title is missing, truthful you tin supply it successful yours
• How difficult it whitethorn beryllium to rank highly: Evaluate nan competition’s contented value and wide authority to fig retired really difficult aliases easy it whitethorn beryllium to rank for definite keywords

How to Analyze a Google SERP

Here’s really to do a Google SERP study successful 5 easy steps:

Get an Overview of nan SERP

Start your SERP investigation by analyzing nan keywords you want to target. To summation penetration into which keywords supply nan astir postulation and ranking imaginable for your site.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality for this.

Enter your keyword and country. Then, click “Search.”

You’ll get a wide overview of these metrics

• Volume: The mean number of monthly searches nan word gets successful your chosen location
• Global Volume: The mean number of monthly searches nan word gets crossed nan full world
• Keyword Difficulty: A measurement of of really difficult it whitethorn beryllium to rank for this keyword 

Ideally, you want to target position that meet these criteria:

• High hunt volume
• Low keyword difficulty
• Business imaginable for your site

But return it 1 measurement further. And get a much personalized overview by specifying your domain successful nan “AI-powered” hunt bar.

Now, you’ll spot a much personalized study generated pinch nan thief of AI that includes:

• Personal Keyword Difficulty: A measurement of really difficult it whitethorn beryllium for your circumstantial site to rank for this keyword
• Topical Authority: The level of alignment betwixt your domain’s contented and nan keyword. It tin beryllium low, moderate, relevant, aliases high.
• Your imaginable position connected nan SERP: A prediction of really good you whitethorn rank if you create a bully page for nan target keyword
• Current position: Your site’s existent ranking position for this keyword if you’re already ranking

In nan supra example, nan analyzed domain will apt rank very well. Even though nan wide keyword trouble people is overmuch higher. 

This information helps you further refine your keyword selection.

Determine nan Search Intent

Search intent refers to nan logic why nan personification is looking up a peculiar term.

Here’s a breakdown of 4 different hunt intent types:

Type	Description	Example
Navigational (N)	The personification is looking for a circumstantial website aliases page	“coursera nation login”
Informational (I)	The personification wants to study much astir a circumstantial topic	“how to study business english”
Commercial (C)	The personification is researching to determine what to purchase	“duolingo alternatives”
Transactional (T)	The personification is fresh to return action for illustration making a purchase	“sign up for duolingo”

Determining hunt intent is an important portion of a SERP study because it impacts nan contented you’ll publish

Let’s return nan keyword “how to study business english” arsenic an example. 

You’ll spot nan hunt intent successful Keyword Overview.

Sometimes, keywords tin person much than 1 intent. 

For example, nan keyword “business nation vocabulary” has some informational and commercialized intent. 

That happens erstwhile location are aggregate purposes down nan search. This arena is called fractured hunt intent.

Regardless of whether your word has fractured intent, it’s a bully thought to sojourn nan existent hunt results page. So you tin spot precisely what’s showing.

Here are nan hunt results for “business nation vocabulary”:

You tin spot a hunt consequence pinch commercialized intent from nan British Council. This is simply a people landing page.

But location are besides 2 SERP features (unique Google hunt results extracurricular of regular integrated rankings) that are typically associated pinch informational intent—People Also Ask (PAA) and informational videos.

When moving pinch keywords that person fractured hunt intent, you whitethorn request to trial retired different contented formats until you find nan 1 that resonates pinch nan readers nan most.

Analyze Competitors

Analyzing which websites rank for your target keywords will thief you understand what benignant of title you whitethorn beryllium up against. So you cognize conscionable really overmuch it’ll apt return to beryllium successful.

Back successful Keyword Overview, scroll down to nan “SERP Analysis” section. And click nan “URL” tab.

You’ll spot nan apical 10 ranking results, on pinch metrics and SERP features (which we’ll screen successful nan adjacent section).

Here’s an overview of nan metrics that you’ll see:

• Page AS (Authority Score): Semrush’s proprietary metric that shows page-level reputability based connected factors for illustration integrated postulation and nan number and value of backlinks
• Ref. (Referring) Domains: The number of unsocial websites that are linking to this page
• Backlinks: The full number of backlinks to this page (including aggregate links from nan aforesaid domain)
• Search Traffic: A monthly estimate of integrated postulation this page whitethorn beryllium getting based connected nan keywords it’s ranking for
• URL Keywords: The number of keywords this page is ranking for

The page-level metrics thief you successful a fewer ways. They fto you:

• Determine nan value of your competition. On apical of keyword difficulty, these metrics thief you understand what it mightiness return to rank for this keyword. And understand nan postulation imaginable if you negociate to do so.
• Find further keywords. Clicking immoderate number successful nan “URL Keywords” file will show further position that page is ranking for. To thief you find different valuable position to target.
• Discover link building opportunities. Clicking nan numbers successful nan “Ref. Domains” file revealswebsites linking to your competitors. Who you mightiness want to interaction to get backlinks of your own.

Check for SERP Features

In summation to nan emblematic bluish nexus integrated hunt results, Google shows users a assortment of different SERP features. And they tin supply awesome opportunities to further summation your visibility. 

Here’s an overview of immoderate SERP features:

• Featured snippets
• Rich snippets
• Images
• Videos
• People Also Ask
• Local representation pack
• Knowledge panels

When you understand what benignant of SERP features show up for your target keywords, you tin building your contented successful a measurement that boosts your chances of ranking for one.

Let’s research really to analyse SERP features successful nan Keyword Overview tool.

In nan “SERP Analysis” section, look to spot whether location are immoderate icons that correspond different SERP features for this keyword.

By hovering complete each icon, you’ll spot an mentation of nan SERP feature.

The database of URLs beneath will show you nan nonstop position of each SERP feature.

Click “View SERP” successful nan apical correct area to position nan hunt results.

For example, you tin spot nan PAA conception and nan knowledge sheet astatine nan top.

These 2 features tin thief find retired what questions your assemblage is asking and brainstorm related topics they whitethorn beryllium willing in.

Then, effort to rank for these features by:

• Including a FAQ conception successful your content
• Formatting nan astir important questions arsenic subheadings and answering nan mobility correct distant successful nan first fewer sentences

Here’s an illustration from 1 nan articles connected our blog:

And this page is showing up successful nan PAA box:

Assess nan Ranking Content

Assessing nan contented that’s ranking successful nan apical 10 results helps you understand what format and value level you should purpose for. 

First, salary attraction to nan contented formats successful nan apical 10 results.

To rank for a circumstantial keyword, you’ll request to usage a format that aligns pinch what you’re seeing. It doesn’t request to beryllium precisely nan same, but return inspiration from what you see.

Let’s return nan keyphrase “how tin one trial my nation level” arsenic an example.

Your first thought whitethorn beryllium to constitute a blog station that informs nan scholar astir different ways they could trial their English-speaking skills. But that would beryllium a mistake.

Here’s why.

Nine retired of 10 results are tests. And 1 is simply a video promoting a test.

To target this keyword successfully, you would astir apt request to create a test. 

As you’re assessing nan contented format, consider:

• What benignant of questions nan trial has
• How galore questions are successful nan test
• How agelong it takes for nan personification to spell done nan test

But make judge to measure nan content quality of these results arsenic well. And look for areas that tin beryllium improved.

Here are a fewer tips for assessing contented quality:

• Think astir what’s missing. As you publication done competitors’ content, deliberation astir imaginable subtopics, master insights, and information you tin adhd to your page that would supply much worth to nan reader 
• Note communal inaccuracies and outdated information. Are location communal inaccuracies successful nan top-ranking content? Make judge to reside and explicate them successful greater item successful your contented to debunk celebrated misconceptions.
• Pay attraction to examples. What benignant of examples do nan competitors showcase? Are they each similar? Note your observations and effort to find nan ones that amended overgarment nan image to readers.

All of these specifications will return you 1 measurement person to creating an astonishing portion of contented and perchance outranking your competition.

How to Apply Your SERP Analysis Insights

Analyzing nan SERP is an important first step. But to get existent worth from those insights, you request to instrumentality them and attraction connected creating high-quality content.

Here’s how:

• Include original information and research: Share original information points your business has to support nan claims you make and found yourself arsenic nan expert
• Double-down connected taxable matter expertise: Showcase your expertise pinch nan taxable by penning astir thing you person extended acquisition with. Alternatively, you tin question and reply soul aliases outer experts and adhd their insights to nan content.
• Use real-world examples: Show nan scholar what nan concepts you’re talking astir look like. It’ll thief them instrumentality nan knowledge you’re sharing pinch them.
• Add plentifulness of visuals: It makes nan contented much scannable and easier to read. Plus, it helps you amended explicate definite concepts.
• Regularly cheque your contented for inaccuracies and outdated information: To debar misleading readers
• Publish original content: Make judge that each of nan contented you people is original to debar facing issues pinch copyright, copy content, and providing a bad personification experience.

As you instrumentality these tips and amended nan value of nan contented you publish, show your rankings. So you tin cognize whether you’re connected nan correct track.

Use Position Tracking to easy travel changes successful your rankings.

Open nan tool, participate your domain, and click “Create project.”

Specify nan hunt engine, device, location, and connection you’re search rankings for. 

If you’re a section business, adhd nan afloat business sanction to way rankings successful nan section representation pack.

Click “Continue To Keywords.”

Enter nan keywords you want to way and click “Start Tracking.”

Scroll down to “Rankings Overview” to spot circumstantial positions. 

In nan 2 tabs marked pinch “Pos. [DATE],” you’ll spot really you’re ranking coming compared to your erstwhile ranking. To spot really your positions person changed.

Use SERP Analyses to Your Advantage

It tin return immoderate clip to get a SERP study right. But pinch nan due tools, nan process is overmuch easier.

Ready to commencement outperforming your competition?

Sign up for a free Semrush proceedings coming to get entree to Keyword Overview and Position Tracking.