Search engine providers want to answer users’ queries as quickly as possible in the search results pages, which often forces users to click on multiple results and wait for the applicable website to load, or fine-tune their query.
To reduce this time and remove friction from the user’s search, search engines have deployed a number of in-SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) features. As a result, the user gets exposed to a lot of different content focused on their interests, and the further down a website is positioned in the search results, the smaller the likelihood it'll be accessed by a potential customer.
But even if users don't decide to visit your page right away, they'll certainly notice it in the search results, which will have a positive impact on your brand awareness and recognition.
With the SERP API you can track the ranking of products, services, businesses, sites, ads, and more, collecting a high volume of real user search engine results pages.
The JSON output includes ranking fields to help you understand the position of different content in the result pages:
“rank”
Indicates the position of an element compared to other URLs at its level.
The JSON is divided into different fields. Each field corresponds with a different SERP feature or site extension that may include sub-links. For example, the “organic” field holds the listing of results shown for a search query that excludes paid ads, while the “top_ads” field holds all the paid ads at the top of the listing of results.
Note that in the JSON, sub-links have their own ranking to better understand their order.
“global _rank”
Indicates the position of an element compared to all the other elements in the results page (including all SERP features).
The JSON fields aren’t sorted based on the SERP because the order varies depending on the search. Therefore, it’s hard to understand, from the rank alone, the link position relative to links in other SERP features (organic, top_ads, etc).
Note: Sub-links don’t get global_rank
Example:
(this example's purpose is to clarify for "rank" and "global_rank". The JSON fields' order might be different)
- “top_ads” (at the top of the SERP) include two links (ads) each of which has a rank and a global_rank
- The first link (global_rank1) includes two sublinks, each of which has a rank according to their order of appearance
- Next in the page flow order is the “knowledge” (global_rank:3)
- Next in the page flow comes the “organic”, the links in it start from global_rank:4
Categories