Types of Google search results | Weboptim
Long gone are the days when all Google results looked the same. Now we see different shapes and sizes, and the difference is due to the use of different factors.
The search results can be grouped into 5 main types (each with subtypes):
- Knowledge Graph results
- Advertisements
- Local search results
- Featured snippets
- Organic search results
Let's look at the categories and their subcategories one by one, by function and by the SEO options they offer.
Knowledge Graph results
1. Carousel
Currently, Carousel results are shown for non-commercial queries, where Google's goal is understanding and therefore the user has several options to choose from. Google used to use it for local businesses, but since 2014 it is no longer in use: restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues are no longer included. The disadvantage is that it does not include a link to the site, clicking on it takes you to a new search results page.
SEO potential: very weak
Good to use: for museums, musicians
2. Brand Knowledge Graph
It is mainly seen in brand queries. Usually includes company/brand name, logo, link to website, description, links to social profiles. The advantage is that it attracts the user's attention and indirectly increases the trustworthiness of the company/brand.
SEO potential: high
Good to use: companies targeting brand keywords
What information is used to derive the data shown here?
- Wikipedia data
- Schema markup on the website
- Confirmed social media profiles
Advertisements
1. Adwords ads
Adwords search ads are displayed above or below the organic results (at the bottom of the page). They can appear on any Google results page for almost any search term.
SOE potential: high
Good to use: for all
How to get there: create an Adwords account and launch a search campaign(s).
2. Google shopping
Shopping ads appear as a separate block on the right-hand side of the results page, along with product images. Only visible for highly commercial content.
SEO potential: average
Good to use: for website owners
How to get there: to create a Google Shopping campaign, you need Google Adwords and Merchant Center accounts (Shopping ads are currently only available for US-targeted campaigns in our country.)
3. Google Flights
Google Flights is a partnership between Google and ITA was the result of a collaboration between. Users can now see flight schedules and prices when searching Google. It also includes the names of airlines, with links. Clicking on it takes you to the Google Flights page, where you can even book a seat on the flight of your choice (in some cases, you can buy a ticket without leaving Google).
SEO potential: high
Good to use: for airlines, travel agencies
How to get there: you must contact the ITA to use it.
4. Hotel ads
For hotels, Google often offers you the option to book a room right on the search page. This can be used to book both on the hotel's official website and on various travel sites (e.g. booking.com, agoda.com).
SEO potential: high
Good to use: for hotels, travel agencies, booking agencies
How to get there: contact the Google team
Local search results
1. Local results
It contains a map and a list of 3 items below it. The 3 items listed depend largely on our location. Clicking takes you to Google Maps, where you can see more information about the company.
SEO potential: high
Good to use: for all businesses with a physical establishment
How to get there:
- register your company in Google My Business (address, phone number, pictures, etc..)
- collect positive reviews (they can influence the location of the display
2. Local Knowledge Graph Panel
It appears mainly in brand searches, which means that the user is looking for the location of the company, and less often for other information. It is similar to the Brand Knowledge Graph presented earlier, but here the data comes from other sources.
It usually includes a picture, map, link to the company website, Google Maps directions link, Google reviews, contact details and, for some types of businesses, popular periods. Sometimes both the company (brand) and local Knowledge Graph may be displayed in the search.
SEO potential: tall
Good to use: for all businesses with a physical establishment
How to get there:
- carry out an introductory campaign: make sure your company is listed on all relevant local and industry-specific collection pages (name, address, phone number)
- set up our Google my business page :existence is critical for local KG listing
- it is important that the data are correct and relevant
- get some good reviews
Featured snippets
1. Travel box
For queries where the user is looking to travel from one place to another, Google often displays a Travel box where you can see the route on the map and choose between car, walking, bike or train as a means of transport. It shows the same results as the route option on Google Maps.
SEO potential: high
Good to use: travel and transport companies
How to get there: a Google free transit partner programif we have a service that is always on a fixed route.
2. Rich snippet
There are countless types of rich snippets, from weather forecasts to live sporting event calculations. It has the advantage of providing an immediate, text response to the user's query, without the need to leave Google. Most of this information comes from a third-party type source, with a link pointing to the original page (as shown in the image above).
SEO potential: very high
Good to use: for anyone
How to get there:
- find common questions in the industry for which we can create content
- answer the question in the content
- use schema markup
- optimise the site
Organic search results
1. Traditional organic finds
The result of good old search engine optimisation. But traditional search results don't look the same today as they did in the past, they're not quite as uniform.
SEO potential: very high
Good to use: for all
How to get there:
- optimise your website
- create rich snippets (with pictures, opinions, internal links)
2. Community listing
Community results, as shown in the results list, have been on the rise over the last few years.
SEO potential: average
Good to use: for everyone who is active on social networking sites
How to get there:
- use schema markup on the main page of your website
- strengthen our social profiles
3. Google News
Google News search results in organic results, on the first page of results. It can contain up to 3 links, and the first one is often accompanied by a small index image.
SEO potential: average
Good to use: for bloggers, news sites
How to get there: if you have quality, fresh, unique and non-commercial content and follow Google's guidelines for news sites, you can become a Google News Publisher.
4. Pictures
Image "boxes" are often seen above/below the organic results. These images link directly to the Google Images page.
SEO potential: average
Good to use: stock photo sites for photographers, artists
How to get there:
- optimise the size of your images (also important for sitespeed)
- use only unique, original images
- fill in the image title and alt text fields for each image
- optimise the page and URL (with keywords)
5. Videos
As with social links, video results are also included in the organic results and contain a unique snippet. You can see the index image, the date of publication and the name of the video channel (uploaded by...).
SEO potential: high
Good to use: for anyone who wants to create video content
How to get there:
- create video content
- optimise the video name, title, description, tags
- maximise the user experience (comments and views determine the quality of a video)
- advertise the video
So these are the main types of Google search results and their characteristics. It's always the industry, the type of service you provide, that decides which one you should/can use.
Source from: link-assistant.com