A SERP (search engine results page) is the page you see after typing a search into Google, Bing or another search engine. It used to be ten blue links. Today it's a mix of standard results, AI summaries, adverts, images, videos, maps and question boxes, and the mix changes with every search.
What appears on a Google SERP
Organic results
The standard listings Google ranks on merit. Each has a title link, the page address (shown as a breadcrumb with your site name and favicon), and a snippet, usually from your meta description or text on the page.
AI Overviews
For many questions, Google shows an AI-written summary at the top with links to its sources. Pages that answer questions clearly and directly are more likely to be cited.
Ads
Paid results, marked "Sponsored", at the top and bottom of the page.
Featured snippets
A highlighted answer box quoting one page, often for "what is" and "how to" searches.
People also ask
Expandable related questions, each with a short answer and a source link.
Rich results
Results with extra detail from structured data: star ratings, prices, availability, event dates, recipe times. See rich snippets.
Local pack, images, videos and more
A map with three local businesses, image carousels, video results, top stories, shopping listings and discussion forums appear when Google thinks they help.
Why the SERP matters for SEO
Ranking is only half the job. What people see decides whether they click. Two pages in the same position can get very different numbers of clicks depending on their title, snippet, favicon and rich result features. That's also why your click-through rate can fall even when your ranking holds: an AI Overview or a new ad above you pushes your result down the page.