As the search engine is getting better to provide a great user experience, Google’s SERP is consistently changing over time. 

Google constantly reinvents it’s SERP to improve the user experience and make the information available to the user in no time. Google does it with such a rapid speed that even it is hard for digital marketers to catch on the trend. To stay abreast of the changes, digital marketers need to monitor the SERP features and design strategies accordingly. 

Today, I am going dig deeper into essential SERP features and the important tips on how to stay ahead of time. 

1. Featured Snippets

The goal of the feature snippets is to help the user find the instant and summarized answer to a query in no time. It is often accurate information which is easier to understand. A snippet takes ‘Position 0’ and often lead to the source domain immediately. Featured snippets are a great way to boost conversion rates and enhance site authority. 

You will find them in different formats i.e. lists, paragraphs, or tables. 

2. Google’s Local 3-Pack

A significant change in Google’s Local Pack happened recently. Earlier Google’s local research showed up to 7 local packs, but now a new way of listing in search results was rolled out. The previous local 7-pack listing seven local businesses is trimmed to ‘local 3-pack’ while listing just three businesses. So, if you are based in Los Angeles and looking for SEO services than Google will show only three packs. 

Google made this update to serve mobile users better. This new three-pack shows the map, reviews, address, working hours, and the link to the official website. If you are looking for a specific business in your locale, first of all, you will see the most important details, including phone numbers. It allows user to contact local businesses quickly to get accurate information about the services or prodct. A local pack can help businesses to increase conversions and plenty of potential customers. 

So here is how you can get the Local Packs on Google 

• Ensure local SEO optimization 
• Create a business page in Google My Business and optimize it
• Add your website to the local directories like YP.com, Foursquare, Yellow Pages and Yelp, etc 
• Create Schema Markup
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly

3. Knowledge Graph 

A knowledge graph is a great way to put all the critical information about any place, organization, business, or personal brand. It includes all the facts about a certain query in a separate box which is easy to understand and clear. 

The information for Google’s Knowledge Graph is drawn from a variety of authentic sources with a link to a specific page which is often ranked at the top of SERPs. In most cases, Google draws information about a particular topic from Wikipedia. Having a well-crafted Wikipedia page increases the probability of getting featured as a Knowledge Graph. 

As mentioned earlier, a Knowledge Graph provides information about brands, people, places, and celebrities. Therefore, it is important to optimize it for informational queries. To ensure SEO ranking, you can include long tail keywords. It will help you stand out of the competition and get more traffic. 

4. Sitelinks 

These are the expanded packs of all the major pages of your website on the SERP, which allow easy site navigation. The aim of the sitelinks is to display branded search queries. SEO service providers in Los Angeles can help you generate organized Sitelinks for your website. 

The sitelinks are placed exactly below your domain URL, and it’s description. Sitelinks can generate a lot of traffic, strengthen authority, improve credibility, and increase conversion rates. They are linked directly to your webpages. 

To get Sitelinks on Google, design a clear and organized site structure. Choose a very well-planned and intuitive navigation layout to ensure great user experience. Make sure all the Sitelinks are active. Create a sitemap file and submit it to Google Search Console. 

For both the website SEO and SERP results, internal links are crucial. You can generate organized linking and monitor them from Google Webmaster Tools. Appealing page titles are always recommended. Create good page titles for the internal links. Search engine continuously monitors page titles to show sitelinks. 

5. Ratings and Reviews

Search engine shows some organic results that pop up with a rating. Ratings and reviews that often show up on the search engine come from Google Reviews. Higher ratings and great reviews always make the snippets rich, get, and catch more user’s attention. 

This feature also promotes brand authenticity and reputation through social proof right on the SERP. Search engine has a very strict policy about customer reviews, and you should ensure all the reviews are authentic. Encourage your happy customers to leave review about your product or service. 

6. Twitter packs 

Too often, we see organic results and recent tweets with clickable images and links. It is due to the agreement between Twitter and Google. Twitter packs show that a particular company or personal brand are active on Twitter. This feature proves additional information to the SERP. 

Statistically, only 5% of your tweets are indexed. Little is known about this feature, and perhaps the most popular tweet fits into this 5%. 

Google is always looking for the best ways to provide a great user experience. No wonder Google will introduce tens of other features to provide a quick answer to the user’s queries. Stay up-to-date and plan accordingly. Consult the SEO service providers in Los Angeles to optimize your website for SERP results.