Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page

We use Google multiple times a day to search topics and find businesses. Knowing the anatomy of the results page will help you more quickly and efficiently find the information you’re looking for. It’s Spring, so let’s do a search for ‘Garden Tools’.

Ads

Google is in the advertising business. They make money by selling prominent search results to relevant businesses. The first few results and the last few results on the page are usually ads. Look for the little green box with the word ‘Ad’ inside.

Organic Results

If a search result does not have an ‘Ad’ box, it is an organic search result. Organic search results on the first page have risen within Google’s search algorithm to be the most relevant for your search query.

Featured Snippet

On some search results, Google will show you a featured snippet. The featured snippet is a summary answer pulled from a relevant webpage.

Local Business Listings

Businesses that add their listing information to Google My Business will show up in relevant search results. Well-reviewed businesses have a higher chance to make the top three and show up on your results page.