AI search and working with a developer
What is SERP?
A SERP is the page of results returned for a query. Reading one properly is the cheapest keyword research there is: what already ranks tells you what the engine believes the query means and what page type is required to compete.
Also called: search engine results page
What to read from it
- Page types ranking — guides, product pages, comparisons, forums
- Whether the results are dominated by brands you cannot realistically outrank
- Which features appear: snippets, local pack, shopping, People Also Ask
- How thoroughly the top results answer the question, which sets the bar
The decision it should drive
If the first page is entirely informational guides, a product page will not break in no matter how well optimised. Either build the page type that ranks, or choose a different query. That single check prevents most wasted content work.
Features that reduce the value of ranking
A query where a local pack, a shopping carousel and four ads sit above the first organic result offers far less traffic at position one than the volume figure implies. Volume is a poor proxy for opportunity without looking at the page.
Where this is covered in depth
A definition can only go so far. The 35 types of SEO, explained without the padding covers this properly — 6 minutes, free, no email required.
Who wrote this
Anas Bin Masud builds e-commerce sites and does technical SEO for businesses in the UK, Canada and Pakistan. These definitions come from client work rather than from a content brief — where an entry describes a mistake, it is usually one found on a real site. More about how I work.