SERP features are structured elements Google injects into search results to answer queries directly on the page. They compress the space available for organic results and change the value of ranking positions.
Common SERP features
- Featured snippet — a boxed answer at the top of the SERP.
- People Also Ask — an expanding list of related questions.
- Knowledge panel — a sidebar summary about an entity.
- Local pack — a map plus three local business results.
- Image pack, video carousel, top stories.
- AI Overview — a generative answer from Google.
Example
Ranking number one for "how to tie a tie" is worth much less if Google displays a video carousel and a featured snippet above the classic results. Position one below three features can lose more than half of its pre-feature click-through rate.
How SEM Optimiser reports it
SEM Optimiser stores SERP features as structured data on every snapshot so you can filter keywords by which features appear and how often you win them.
Related terms
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
A SERP is the page a search engine returns in response to a query, containing organic results, paid ads, and specialised features such as knowledge panels or AI Overviews.
- Featured Snippet
A featured snippet is a boxed answer displayed at the top of a Google SERP that quotes text or a list from a ranking page.
- People Also Ask
People Also Ask is a SERP feature that shows a list of related questions the user might also want answered, each expanding to reveal an extracted answer.
- Knowledge Panel
A knowledge panel is a boxed summary that appears on the right side of a Google SERP with facts about a specific entity such as a person, company, or place.
- AI Overview
An AI Overview is a generative summary shown at the top of a Google search results page, synthesised by Google's Gemini model from multiple ranking sources.