SERP layouts can change daily, and Google constantly introduces new SERP features. One example is shopping, where Google introduced free listings and query refinements since the study came out (in 2023).
Some SERP features show up more often in specific positions. (Image Credit: Kevin Indig)
To add to the paper, I conducted my own analysis of 1,000 random keywords across 7,869 results (US) and found overlapping results:
Organic results appear most often in position 2 (73.6%) rather than 1 (51.5%).
Knowledge graphs are the SERP feature most often appearing in position 1, followed by popular products (5.7%).
Discussions & Forums hover mostly around positions 3 to 6.
Video and image carousels often appear in positions 4 to 6.
Related searches or popular products often appear in positions 6 to 9.
Knowledge graphs seem to be the most click-draining SERP feature, with an increased impact on mobile due to the screen real estate they occupy.
Related to findings in the German research paper, searches that return a knowledge graph are hard to monetize in nature because users are exploring a topic. As a result, Google keeps users on the platform until they express more transactional intent.
An example is the keyword “male hair growth,” where Google displays ads, organic listings, and a knowledge card.
How much traffic do classic web results get when Google gives the answer away before organic results appear? (Image Credit: Kevin Indig)
Another example is the keyword “insurance policies,” where Google shows a Featured Snippet and a Knowledge Card.
What do you need the Featured Snippet for when Google gives the answer itself? (Image Credit: Kevin Indig)
The impact is much more severe on mobile, where Google gives the answer and makes many organic results redundant.
Users see the Knowledge Card long before any organic results appear. (Image Credit: Kevin Indig)
Strategically, SERP features cannot replace a No. 1 rank, but they can enhance traffic returns, as long as you’re in the top 10 results. The key to factoring SERP features into your SEO strategy is a) monitoring them and b) prioritizing keywords accordingly.
For monitoring, you need a solution (either a third-party tool or building your own solution with an API) that helps you understand which keywords show what kind of SERP feature over time.
Certain SERP features, like Knowledge Graphs and Local Packs, can significantly lower clicks. All the search volume in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t get the clicks.
For prioritization, you need to prioritize keywords according to the findings in the German research paper and my analysis: target image carousels, free shopping listings, and video carousels.
That said, one SERP feature bears a bigger risk than any other: AI Overviews. In a world where users get direct answers to complex questions from LLMs, there is less space for SERP features, which are most useful for shorter search queries.
Sundar Pichai: “People are using it to Search in entirely new ways, and asking new types of questions, longer and more complex queries, even searching with photos, and getting back the best the web has to offer.”
The impact of AI on search is also the real motivation for the Yelp lawsuit.