Utilizing search algorithms with over 200 ranking variables, search engines like Google and Bing index and rank websites. The position and visibility of a website varies in the search engine results pages (SERPs) based on a number of factors. Digital marketers and webmasters perform SERP analysis to identify the factors that make a website reach the top SERP position for the highest website rankings in SERP for a particular topic or keyword.
SERP analysis results help digital marketers refine search engine optimization (SEO) strategies by identifying opportunities to outperform competitors. Many digital marketers perform SERP analysis as part of keyword research. They also take multiple approaches and use various tools while doing SERP analysis. Our SERP analysis guide aims to make it easy for beginners to understand the multi-step process.
Goals for SERP Analysis
The #1 result in Google’s organic search results has an average (click-through-rate) CTR of 31.7%. Also, the #1 organic result is 10x more likely to receive a click compared to a page in the #10 spot.
The main goal of SERP analysis is to identify what makes a website reach the top SERP position for a specific keyword or topic. Digital marketers these days perform SERP analysis to boost SEO strategies by collecting a variety of actionable information.
SERP Analysis Process
Digital marketers evaluate and compare the top websites using different approaches. But SERP analysis, as mentioned above, is a multi-step process. Digital marketers follow five common steps, regardless of the approach or method of analysis.
1. Search By Keywords
Before analyzing the SERP, digital marketers define and list the specific keywords. The list helps them identify the keywords the website ranks for and the keywords the website should rank for. And for that; the full list includes keywords that are relevant and related to a specific industry. Digital marketers refer to the list to identify the top-ranking content for each of these keywords. Additionally, keywords help them identify existing content to optimize and new content to create.
2. Identification of Search Intent
Search engines match content to search queries while displaying results to users. And for that; Digital marketers must identify the search intent associated with each keyword. After filling in the specific keywords, they need to understand what the searchers want when entering specific search queries. The understanding will help them improve the search performance of existing content based on the logic behind the search queries entered by researchers.
3. Competitive Analysis
Digital marketers perform competitive analysis with the goal of outperforming competitors in the SERP for specific keywords. But digital marketers understand the difficulty of beating Wikipedia, Quora, and other Internet giants. Keywords are skipped if the SERP is dominated by such internet giants. On the other hand, they closely analyze the most important content published by competitors to understand what works and find opportunities to optimize existing content.
4. Look For Ranking Opportunities
During competitive analysis, digital marketers are always looking for ranking opportunities. They find ranking opportunities by identifying keywords that are not being used by competitors and measuring the length of the keywords. They further outperformed the competition by creating similar content in a different and innovative way. Additionally, digital marketers focus on researching long-tail keywords that are not very competitive but meet search intent.
5. Content Optimization
Finally, digital marketers take advantage of SERP analysis results to increase the search visibility of their website. They increase website search visibility by creating new content and optimizing existing content. When creating new content, they focus on taking a different approach. On the other hand, they optimize existing content by incorporating additional information, following the latest content trends and including more relevant keywords. Further increase content search performance by optimizing images by adopting image SEO tips and best practices.
SERP Analysis Metrics
When performing SERP analysis, digital marketers primarily focus on specific keywords and search engine ranking factors. But they need to evaluate high-level content using a variety of metrics to produce actionable results. Digital marketers improve the quality of SERP analysis results by incorporating key metrics such as
SERP analysis tools
Beginners and marketers often have to spend more time and effort doing SERP analysis for multiple keywords. SERP analysis tools might help you streamline and accelerate the analysis process. In addition to automating the SERP analysis process, specialized software solutions produce high-quality results using additional metrics. Beginners might have a look at a few of these popular SERP analysis tools.
SEMrush Position Tracking Tool – This tool makes SERP analysis easy by discovering local and global competitors, tracking search engine rankings for specific keywords, and comparing search performance. Digital marketers can use this tool to track and review the search performance of up to 20 competitors for up to 5,000 keywords.
Moz Pro SERP Analysis Tool – This SEO toolkit helps digital marketers track the search engine rankings of their website and competitor websites on desktop and mobile. Users can boost SEO strategies by understanding what works and what doesn't. They can also uncover gaps and identify opportunities by monitoring the movement of competitors' websites.
Ahrefs SERP Checker – This online tool supports SERP analysis by analyzing the websites that occupy the top 10 SERP positions in 143 countries. In addition to monitoring SERP position history, SERP Checker helps users estimate traffic data, assess ranking difficulty, and get detailed SEO statistics. SEO stats help them understand what makes competitors higher in the SERPs.
Mangools SERPChecker – is one of the specialized tools that help users measure the SEO authority of top-tier websites and identify their strengths and weaknesses. SERPChecker uses over 40 SEO metrics to represent the relevance of selected keywords and suggest opportunities to outperform the competition.
Major search engines include new ranking factors and frequently update their search algorithms. And for that; Digital marketers need to make SERP analysis an ongoing process. They can take advantage of SERP analysis tools to thoroughly evaluate the top-tier website using multiple metrics. Additionally, the tools make it easier for digital marketers to refine SEO strategies by providing actionable insights.
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