SERP
Also called: search engine results page, search results page, SERPs, SERP features
Definition
A SERP (search engine results page) is the page a search engine shows after a query: classic blue links plus features like AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, ads and the Discussions and forums section.
SERP is the page of results you get after searching. Ten blue links used to be the whole thing. Today a single Google SERP can stack an AI Overview, ads, a featured snippet, a People Also Ask box, videos and a "Discussions and forums" block before the first organic link.
How it works
Google's visual elements gallery lists the parts of a results page: the text result itself (title link, URL, snippet), plus features like sitelinks, image and video results, related questions, related searches and AI features. Which features appear depends on the query. A how-to query might show a featured snippet; a "best X for Y" query often triggers forum results; a complex question may trigger an AI Overview.
"Ranking #1" means less than it did. If an AI Overview and three other features sit above the first organic link, position one may be below the fold on a phone.
Why it matters for marketers
The SERP decides how many clicks are available at all. Pew Research tracked the browsing of 900 US adults in March 2025 and found people clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits to pages with an AI summary, against 15% on pages without one. That is the core of zero-click search.
So the useful question is not just "where do we rank?" It is "what does this SERP actually show, and where could our name appear on it?" Sometimes the answer is your own page. Sometimes it is a review site, a YouTube video or a Reddit thread you do not own.
How it plays out on Reddit
For many commercial queries ("best CRM for a 3-person agency", "alternatives to X"), the SERP includes Reddit threads, either as regular results or inside the Discussions and forums section. Those threads also feed AI answers: Reddit ranked first or second as a cited source on every AI engine Peec AI tested in March 2026.
A practical routine: search your top buying queries in a clean browser, write down every Reddit thread on page one, and check whether your product is mentioned in them. That is a SERP audit with a Reddit lens, and it tells you which conversations are worth joining. The Reddit SEO and AI search guide goes further.
Common mistakes
- Tracking rank without looking at the page. A rank tracker says "position 2"; the real SERP shows an AI Overview, ads and a carousel first.
- Checking only your own domain. Third-party pages that rank for your query (Reddit threads, review sites) shape the buying decision too.
- Assuming one SERP for everyone. Results vary by location, device and personalization. Check from the market you sell into.
Frequently asked questions
What does SERP stand for?
Search engine results page: the page a search engine returns for a query.
What are SERP features?
Anything beyond the standard blue link: AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, image and video results, local results, sitelinks and forum results.
Why do Reddit threads show up so often in search results?
Google added a dedicated Discussions and forums feature in 2022 for queries where first-hand experience helps, and said in November 2023 that it had made ranking improvements to show more first-person perspectives.