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Search Engine Results – Types

Search engine results – paid, organic, local shopping, hotels, flights… that is what you can see in the Google search engine.

Search engine results in the Google search engine differ significantly. However, they share one function – they help you find the information you look for in the web resources. It is good to know that specific groups of results are related to specific types of services. It determines their looks, nature and accessibility during advertising campaigns. What kind of results can we find in the search engine?

Text adverts in the search network belong to Google Ads (previously Google AdWords).

These are paid results – this means that you have to conduct an advertising campaign if you wish to be present in the search engine in the space dedicated to Google AdWords results. This is why Google AdWords adverts are sometimes referred to as sponsored links.

The results of this sort are displayed above and possibly below (if there are so many advertisers of a specific keyword) organic search engine results. The advertisements are visible not only on the first page of the search engine. In the past adverts were displayed also on the right side of the search engine page (until 2016). Currently, Google Ads ads are not highlighted in colors but marked with a green inscription “advertisement”. It is essential that we mention that Google experiments with displaying ads, but they always stand out among other results and can be distinguished between organic search results.

Google AdWords text ads can take up different space in the search engine. Much depends on the skills of the certified specialist who conducts the campaign and who may configure it in such a way that it takes more space and, of course, is more eye-catching/better exposed. This being the case, we talk about an extended Google AdWords ad.

Organic results in the search engine are free?

These results take a lot of space in the search engine. Basically, it is assumed that one page of search results contains 10 records. For this reason people use the term “top 10 results”. In practice there may be fewer than 10 results per page. It is rare and the decision on this or other display of results is taken by Google arbitrarily.

Presence in the organic results in the search engine does not depend on whether you conduct an advertising campaign or not. Simply speaking, each website which Google accepts and which does not cause any indexing issues should be part of organic results.

The popular situations which prevent inclusion of the website in the Google index are the following: website is excluded from indexing – this is signaled by content of robots.txt file or meta robots, or the website was punished and is removed from search engine results.

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Organic results are the place in which SEO specialists operate. While the website indexing – placing it in the group of results which Google will display after you have entered a suitable key word or phrase – does not entail any extra costs (although it may require a suitable knowledge), taking the website to the top of the search engine list – most visible search engine results – may require support and SEO specialist’s effort.

The leaders of Google ranking list are websites which satisfy the assumptions of Google algorithm with regard to what a perfect website should be like. What is considered is matters related to links, domain age and its history, subpage addresses, development degree, optimization of head section, contents above it. Interestingly, Google algorithm takes into account over 200 factors when arranging the website ranking list, which translates into results in the search engine. This algorithm is updated on a regular basis, which means that some factors gain whereas others lose their importance. The role of the SEO specialist is to adjust its work to variable conditions determined by Google.  

A single organic result is composed of a title, description and link to the homepage or subpage. Google may extend it “as a reward” to include links to subpages being part of the website. The SEO specialist cannot influence it, which is not the case of the Google AdWords specialist with respect to extended sponsored links. Of course the enlarged organic result is desired due to the fact that it draws more attention.

Google Hotel Ads service was previously known as Google Hotel Finder. The tool is integrated with Google browser – Google Hotel Ads are visible among organic results in the search engine, on Google maps and business cards or mobile devices. Google Hotel Ads is part of paid search engine results – they are displayed in the search engine as a result of a suitable advertising campaign.

The result from Google Hotel Ads category takes a lot of space in the search engine, is well-visible and provides most important information in a convenient and condensed form. We can easily say that Google Hotel Ads is a way of presenting the hotel offer quickly. Potential customers will see not only address data and hotel class but also price and room booking variants, guests’ reviews, photographs, access map, or view in Google Street View.

It takes advantage of the popularity of price comparison sites. For many customers the price is an important factor in the process of making a purchase. Well-exposed and attractive price is often a key to success. The results of Google Shopping are positioned above the organic results, in a well-exposed and eye-catching place. They focus on the photo of the product in question and provide information on name, link to the online store and price. Here we deal with the offer in a well-visible place in Google search engine, both on PC screens and mobile devices.

Similar to Google Ads or Google Hotel Ads, the results visible in the Google Shopping space show up only after you have initiated the paid advertising campaign.

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Local results, that is Google My Business and results on maps.

There are two kinds of space in the search engine intended for local entrepreneurs. Google My Business is an advanced image of each business and includes basic address and contact data, photographs, working hours, customers’ reviews, etc. You don’t have to pay for creating and publishing it. It is located on the right hand side, next to Google AdWords results and organic results.

On Google map you can also find pins with locations of specific local companies. This map is accompanied by business cards which inform about business, address, contact data, working hours, distance to the head office of the company. You can also set the route to the company – it is useful for mobile devices. The aforesaid map with companies is positioned at the top of the search engine and is perfectly visible. It is also free but not every company is identified on the map and marked with a pin. The companies which hold many reviews are more likely to be visible on the map.

Google Flights is another type of results in the search engine.

As a formality, it is necessary to note that these results are paid and therefore are the effect of advertising campaigns. They are defined as sponsored results. You can find them after you have entered keywords related to flights. The results of Google Flights take the space below sponsored links and above organic results. They stand out. The combined features of flights search engine and price comparison site.

Summary

The search engine results differ substantially between one another. The first division is free versus sponsored results. Free search engine results are primarily organic results and results related to Google My Business and Google maps. If you want them to be present among search results in the area dedicated to Google AdWords, Google Shopping, Google Hotel Ads or Google Flights, you need to conduct and pay for the advertising campaign.

Another demarcation line can be drawn between “universal” results and the ones related to specific business. Organic results or Google Ads results show up in the context of each business and kind of activity (as for Google Ads provided that someone is willing to pay for this advertisement, and the business, service or product is not included in the forbidden Google index). In turn Google My Business is intended for local entrepreneurs, Google Shopping – online stores, whereas Google Hotel Ads or Google Flights – tourism. You have to be aware of this – this specialization of services means that not every space in the search engine may be available to your company.

It is advisable to be up-to-date with news. Google expands the range of its services systematically, modifies the way results are displayed in the search engine and creates solutions dedicated to popular businesses. It translates into new advertising space in the Google search engine and generally digital marketing environment.

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