Advice and answers from the Advanced Web Ranking Team
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How to track different types of results from Google‘s Desktop search pages
Learn about the different types of search results shown on Google’s Desktop search pages and how you can track them using AWR.
In AWR, keyword ranking positions are tracked separately by the device the search queries originate from - Desktop versus Mobile results pages.
Below you will find a guide of the most important Google's Desktop search results and tips on how to track each using one of the AWR’s dedicated search engines.
Search result types that can be returned by Google in response to queries performed from Desktop devices and which are currently tracked by AWR:
1) Blended results
a) Featured snippets
b) Sitelinks
c) Top stories
d) Images
e) Knowledge panel
f) Videos
g) Tweets
h) People also ask
i) Local pack
j) Carousel
2) Local results
3) Regular Organic results
4) Vertical search results
5) Sponsored results
Disclaimer: Please note that this screenshot was artificially compiled using real Google results.
1. Blended results
Traditional Organic results blended with other special search results (also referred to as SERP Features) from Google's results pages.
Alongside the Organic results, which are present with not a single exception on every regular search results page, the following SERP Features can be triggered when searching from a Desktop device:
a) Featured snippets
Answer display boxes featured on #1 spot (position 0) of Google’s results page. Featured snippets help users find the information faster as they do not have to click through a specific result in order to see the answer.
b) Sitelinks
Hyperlinks that appear below some Google listings in order to help searchers easier navigate to relevant pages from a website.
c) Top stories
News-related results returned when Google finds relevant news or events relevant to the search query. Such results can appear in any position on the search results pages and are enhanced with a small, yet representative image or video. When clicking on the More for link below the Top stories box the searcher is redirected to Google’s News vertical.
d) Images
Thumbnail images from Google’s regular web search pages. Such results can appear in any position on SERP and are linked directly to Google’s Images vertical.
e) Knowledge panel
Overview information box displayed on the right side of a search results page. The knowledge panel is triggered in response to a query about a brand, a place, or a particular topic such as popular people, books, or movies.
f) Videos
Snippets featuring a thumbnail of the video alongside the publication date, the names of the video and channel. Video snippets can show up on any position among Google’s regular search results pages.
g) Tweets
Twitter search results returned by Google when significant current interest related to the query’s topic is registered.
h) People also ask
Set of accordion-like questions and answers related to the searcher's initial query. A PAA result can appear either right under a featured snippet or on any other position on the first page of search results.
i) Local pack
Pack of 3 Google search results that shows the most popular local businesses relevant to the user’s query and geographic location. The local 3-pack usually appears at the top of the page every time a query has local intent and is accompanied by a map.
j) Carousel
Horizontal slider displayed at the top of the page which allows searchers to expand their search. Clicking on any of the carousel’s listings brings the searcher to a new search results page.
How to track Blended results
Except for featured snippets which can be tracked also with the Organic version, all blended results from Google’s regular desktop search network can be tracked only with the Desktop Universal search engine.
Left screenshot: The HTML SERP file retrieved using a Desktop Universal search engine.
Right screenshot: www.allrecipes.com is reported as ranking on the 7th position - the Feature snippet, the 4 entries from the People also ask box and the Organic result were counted first.
2. Local results
Packs that appear, usually, at the top of the page and which are comprised of a map and 3 listings featuring the business name, physical address, opening hours, and phone number. The listings returned in the local 3-pack are dependent on the searcher’s geographical location and query intent. When clicking on any of the 3 local listings, the searcher is brought to Google Maps for an extended view of the selected business.
How to track Local results
Local 3-pack results which originate from Desktop searches can be tracked either with the Desktop Universal search engine or with one of the following versions of the Places search engine:
Desktop Organic & Places - tracks ranking positions from local 3-pack listings alongside the traditional Organic results
Desktop Places - tracks only the listings featured in the local 3-pack.
3. Regular Organic results
Search results based on unpaid, natural rankings selected by the search engine algorithms based on their quality and also their relevance to the searcher’s query.
How to track Regular Organic results
Organic only entries from regular Desktop web search pages can be tracked using the Desktop Organic search engine.
Left screenshot: The HTML SERP file retrieved using a Desktop Organic search engine.
Right screenshot: www.allrecipes.com is reported as ranking on the 2nd position - the Feature snippet and the 4 entries from the People also ask box were not counted.
4. Vertical search results
As opposed to a default search page which may return results from the entire spectrum of the web for a topic, a vertical search results page focuses only on a specific niche of online content, as follows:
Maps - local results returned to searchers looking for businesses or places nearby their location.
Images - image content relevant to the searcher’s query.
Video - video content returned from sources all over the web, including the Youtube database.
Shopping - search results powered by Google's shopping platform.
News - news related articles retrieved from more than 50,000 news sources worldwide.
Left screenshot: Organic search results blended with Top Stories and Tweets SERP Features.
Right screenshot: Google vertical exclusively showing Google News results.
How to track Vertical search results
If in need to track rankings across one of Google's vertical areas mentioned above you can use one of the specialized search engines - Desktop Images, Desktop Video, Desktop Maps, Desktop Shopping, or Desktop News.
5. Sponsored results
Search results for which the site owners have paid a fee to have their websites displayed on the search engine results pages when someone runs a search query containing specific keywords or phrases they are targeting. Paid results are listed at the very top of a SERP and are set apart from the organic listings using a visual clue.
How to track Sponsored results
Ranking positions from sponsored search results can be captured using the Desktop Ads search engine.
Do you have any other questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will keep building the FAQ.
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