The document is a presentation on trends in search engine results page (SERP) features from 2020-2021. It analyzes data from Similarweb on 12 major SERP features across different industries, keywords, devices and markets (US vs UK). Key findings include the top features being organic/paid listings and images in both markets. In the US, instant answers are prominent while related questions dominate the UK. The analysis also compares feature trends for branded vs non-branded keywords and across industries most impacted by COVID-19 like travel.

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SERP Feature Trends
Every SEO Must Know
with Kevin Indig

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Your presenters
Gerald Murphy
Senior Solution Business Manager,
Digital Marketing Intelligence Solution (SEO)
Kevin Indig
Director of SEO

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Similarweb
empowers you
with the insights
you need to make
better decisions
We provide decision makers with the
most reliable data, offering 360°
visibility of the digital world.
Similarweb insights, from every market,
in every category, enable companies
to find untapped opportunities to
grow their business.

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Similarweb
provides insights
for any website,
app, industry and
market
Websites
100M+
Apps
4.7M+
Countries
190+
Industries
210+
Search Terms
1B+
E-commerce
product SKUs
250M+

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What we will
cover today?
> Key search engine behaviours
> Things that impact a search
> Trends: US vs. UK SERP behaviour
> Trends: The Top 5 SERP features you should be
optimising for
> Top 10 SERP Features of US and UK
> How you can optimise for the most important SERP
features

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Common search user
behaviours
Search is complex, this is one of the reasons
why SERP Features exist

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Factors that influence a search
Income, education
and health
● Reflective of how we engage with
technologies
● Will impact the types of products we have
● No impact on search engine use
Gender
● Male searchers tend to spend more time
examining the SERP and use filters
● Female searchers tend to open more
browser tabs for more complex
searches, less time on SERPs but more
time browsing result content
Location
● Used by engines to increase relevance
● Where the searcher is from doesn’t impact
their search behaviour, just the types of
keywords they use
Age
● 18-60 year olds are very similar
● Older spend more time on the SERP
Sources:
● Belkin, N. J. (2000) Helping People Find What They Don't Know. The Human Element 43(8)
● Cole, M.J., Gwizdka, J., Liu, C., Bierig, R., Belkin, N.J., and Zhang, X. (2011) Task and user effects on reading patterns in information search. 23 23(2011)
● Singer, G., Norbisrath, U., Lewandowski, D. (no date) Impact of Gender and Age on performing Search Tasks Online. --

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SERP Features help drive better results so we can find information
Product Listings Ads (PLAs), Maps PLAs, knowledge panel maps People also ask, regular results People also ask, Twitter

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Methodology

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> See SERP Feature trends in US and UK for
some key industries that were most
impacted by COVID-19
> Find out if SERP Features changed by
device and if there was a different trend
for brand vs non-brand
What we set out to
find
> Identify the top 10 most prominent SERP
Features in US and UK

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What data did we use?
Industries for this analysis
● We have a grand total of 120
industries in Similarweb Pro
● We analysed some of most
interesting from a Covid
perspective
12
SERP Features
● January 2020 to April 2021
● United States and United Kingdom
● Desktop and mobile devices
● Brand and non-brand keywords
27
Keywords
● We collect keyword data using a
range of methodologies (e.g.
public data, anonymous user
data, first party analytics etc)
● Our keyword data is dynamic and
updated daily
11.9T

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Examples of the data we used
Industries
● All industries
● E-commerce and Shopping
● E-commerce and Shopping >
Marketplace
● Food and Drink > Groceries
● Food and Drink > Restaurants and
Delivery
● Health > Mental Health
● Health > Nutrition Diets and Fitness
● Jobs and Career
● Law and Government > Government
● Lifestyle > Beauty and Cosmetics
● Lifestyle > Fashion and Apparel
● News and Media
● Sports
● Travel and Tourism
SERP Features
● Apps
● Featured
● Flights
● Hotels
● Images
● Instant answers
● Jobs
● Knowledge
● Local pack
● News
● Organic (expanded sitelinks, inline
sitelinks, sitelinks, expanded sitelinks)
● Paid (expanded sitelinks, inline sitelinks,
sitelinks, expanded sitelinks)
● PLAs
● Popular products
● Video
Keywords
Brand
● Netflix
● Google Chrome
● PlayStation 5
● Walt Disney World
Non-brand
● Coronavirus
● Champions league
● Standing desk
● Office chair
● Pizza near me
● Fried rice recipe
● Suez canal blockage
● Car rental
● Flights to Hawaii
● All inclusive holidays
● Online yoga

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Number of SERP Features as a percentage in US and UK
United States and United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The number of keywords triggering SERP Features in US and UK
United States
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The number of brand keywords triggering SERP Features - US & UK
United States
Desktop & mobile, brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The number of non-brand keywords triggering SERP Features - US & UK
United States
Desktop & mobile, non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The number of keywords triggering SERP Features by device - US & UK
Desktop
Desktop, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
Mobile
Mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The number of SERP Features combinations - US & UK
Raw metrics
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
As a percentage
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The largest quarterly growth of SERP Features by market - US & UK
United States
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, brand and non-brand, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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The top 5 dominate SERP Features by most impacted COVID industry
United States
Desktop, brand and non-brand, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop, brand and non-brand, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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Top 10 SERP features by market - U.S. and U.K.
United States
Desktop & mobile, branded and non-branded, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
United Kingdom
Desktop & mobile, branded and non-branded, all industries, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
Largest SERP Feature: Instant Answers 31% (only 2% in US)
Largest SERP Feature: Related questions 36% (only 13% in the UK)

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Industry comparison of SERP Features - USA
Related
questions
Related
searches Images Video
Featured
snippets
Instant
answers Jobs Knowledge Local pack News Paid PLA
Law/Gov 19% 19% 20% 8% 8% 4% 1% 9% 5% 1% 7% 1%
Beauty/cosmetics 20% 20% 18% 9% 8% 3% 0% 5% 4% 0% 7% 6%
Fashion 16% 16% 24% 10% 5% 3% 0% 5% 6% 1% 7% 8%
News/Media 18% 18% 20% 10% 8% 4% 0% 8% 4% 1% 6% 3%
Sports 17% 17% 23% 11% 5% 4% 0% 8% 4% 1% 5% 4%
E-commerce 15% 28% 20% 1% 5% 4% 0% 9% 5% 1% 8% 4%
Ecommerce/Marketplace 15% 28% 19% 8% 5% 3% 0% 7% 4% 0% 6% 4%
Groceries 6% 11% 7% 4% 2% 9% 0% 19% 10% 1% 18% 13%
Restaurants/Delivery 11% 31% 21% 7% 3% 3% 1% 6% 6% 0% 6% 5%
Mental Health 20% 28% 14% 7% 10% 4% 0% 6% 3% 1% 6% 1%
Careers 13% 29% 17% 6% 4% 3% 1% 10% 8% 1% 8% 1%
Travel/Tourism 13% 29% 19% 8% 4% 3% 0% 10% 6% 1% 5% 1%
United States
Desktop, brand and non-brand, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021

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Industry comparison of SERP Features - UK
United Kingdom
Desktop, brand and non-brand, Jan 2020 - Apr 2021
Related
questions
Related
searches Images Video
Featured
snippets
Instant
answers Jobs Knowledge Local pack News Paid PLA
Law/Gov 9% 15% 8% 3% 3% 1% 0% 4% 2% 0% 3% 1%
Beauty/cosmetics 9% 14% 8% 4% 3% 1% 0% 2% 2% 0% 3% 3%
Fashion 7% 15% 10% 4% 2% 1% 0% 2% 2% 0% 3% 4%
News/Media 8% 15% 8% 4% 3% 1% 0% 3% 2% 0% 3% 2%
Sports 8% 15% 9% 4% 2% 2% 0% 4% 2% 1% 2% 2%
E-commerce 8% 15% 9% 4% 2% 1% 0% 3% 2% 0% 3% 3%
Ecommerce/Marketplace 8% 14% 9% 5% 3% 1% 0% 3% 1% 0% 3% 3%
Groceries 7% 14% 9% 4% 2% 1% 0% 2% 2% 0% 3% 4%
Restaurants/Delivery 6% 15% 10% 4% 1% 1% 0% 6% 3% 0% 2% 1%
Mental Health 10% 15% 7% 3% 5% 2% 1% 3% 2% 1% 3% 1%
Careers 7% 15% 8% 3% 2% 1% 1% 5% 4% 0% 4% 0%
Travel/Tourism 7% 15% 9% 4% 2% 2% 0% 5% 3% 0% 3% 1%

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US - Instant Answers by industry
Law/Gov
Beauty/
Cosmetics
Fashion/
Apparel
News/
Media
Sports Ecommerce
Ecom
Marketplace
Groceries
Restaurant/
Delivery
Mental Health Careers Travel/Tourism
2020-01 758,365 468,059 600,772 2,355,422 522,974 2,131,008 2,047,703 353,726 178,947 145,126 553,244 785,003
2020-02 1,230,040 608,613 835,974 3,436,015 785,853 3,083,648 2,948,776 458,550 271,561 241,275 785,769 1,155,991
2020-03 1,803,353 728,206 849,029 4,594,223 919,549 3,889,637 3,719,335 537,906 331,308 381,847 1,048,232 1,423,038
2020-04 3,704,790 1,327,850 1,505,543 9,186,252 1,733,820 7,627,504 7,280,906 978,965 639,154 783,743 2,197,207 2,704,684
2020-05 5,707,041 1,909,081 2,180,708 14,434,463 2,830,128 11,870,400 11,359,251 1,408,512 965,998 1,208,282 3,211,603 4,181,021
2020-06 2,988,308 974,198 1,120,145 7,532,552 1,537,334 6,241,237 5,997,429 744,825 507,723 640,537 1,672,585 2,154,629
2020-07 4,336,055 1,437,505 1,568,384 10,874,053 2,100,714 8,946,006 8,587,687 1,041,048 694,568 902,358 2,344,555 3,087,218
2020-08 3,020,113 917,915 1,104,341 7,341,521 1,569,768 6,169,556 5,904,455 720,229 511,182 624,746 1,604,859 2,152,454
2020-09 4,863,873 1,605,029 1,873,048 12,114,550 2,441,705 10,212,166 9,779,470 1,238,290 857,978 993,461 2,940,708 3,510,598
2020-10 5,765,038 1,901,691 2,199,799 14,474,673 2,851,310 12,017,820 11,459,403 1,477,541 1,038,480 1,185,950 3,482,339 4,199,471
2020-11 2,260,580 759,202 929,636 5,697,354 1,259,965 4,767,491 4,554,083 621,266 442,224 467,023 1,329,591 1,718,524
2020-12 3,692,100 1,366,628 1,553,767 9,490,808 1,908,526 7,962,785 7,583,510 1,069,524 721,157 750,792 2,363,377 2,768,851
2021-01 4,533,283 1,596,081 1,837,092 11,480,746 2,318,075 9,610,195 9,159,165 1,252,954 867,014 901,207 2,853,185 3,360,774
2021-02 4,025,140 1,428,774 1,642,495 10,369,460 2,095,468 8,675,304 8,247,282 1,139,104 800,267 785,580 2,559,570 3,069,829
2021-03 11,235,149 3,968,872 4,362,528 29,764,423 5,605,882 24,526,803 23,296,684 3,057,877 2,064,284 2,269,001 6,985,743 8,426,581
2021-04 10,092,780 3,886,840 4,387,686 27,369,820 5,186,766 23,138,284 21,903,779 3,038,588 1,995,746 2,030,000 6,409,550 7,866,630

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Law/Gov
Beauty/
Cosmetics
Fashion/
Apparel
News/
Media
Sports Ecommerce
Ecom
Marketplace
Groceries
Restaurant/
Delivery
Mental Health Careers Travel/Tourism
2020-01 11,005 2,041 6,300 30,058 8,700 20,735 20,203 2,303 4,074 1,910 5,417 29,859
2020-02 26,857 6,032 15,912 70,642 21,371 55,564 51,978 8,152 10,155 5,326 12,315 53,546
2020-03 46,263 9,606 25,282 114,625 35,016 91,052 82,368 14,906 18,315 9,560 22,066 82,226
2020-04 108,599 23,152 54,769 261,477 76,089 208,956 189,236 36,436 39,847 24,915 49,814 173,069
2020-05 190,159 38,964 95,124 539,982 124,728 418,003 381,114 60,552 70,335 41,370 81,690 336,277
2020-06 86,757 18,819 42,748 209,587 64,356 170,854 158,210 29,367 31,110 20,972 40,344 124,617
2020-07 118,958 23,187 54,137 292,210 87,258 224,950 207,501 38,690 43,707 26,427 57,481 172,860
2020-08 24,724 5,237 12,177 46,852 19,626 40,824 38,931 7,072 6,238 6,629 9,918 25,999
2020-09 143,894 27,962 66,787 350,978 112,300 278,165 265,174 43,014 38,646 32,255 61,293 180,301
2020-10 165,770 34,841 77,170 411,060 125,135 316,640 300,900 51,087 41,856 36,863 71,185 206,016
2020-11 68,710 15,584 33,536 153,064 53,627 120,143 113,668 21,731 16,671 15,817 37,997 84,676
2020-12 442,324 143,327 251,742 1,052,728 269,945 882,764 824,081 205,735 89,271 86,844 225,202 420,354
2021-01 615,280 197,893 350,507 1,458,766 361,267 1,223,782 1,138,041 290,620 119,674 116,952 306,064 567,917
2021-02 1,139,782 398,214 670,807 2,929,882 683,662 2,489,652 2,344,369 557,568 219,617 235,299 558,048 1,019,598
2021-03 146,234 30,975 79,813 460,315 135,444 355,796 335,425 47,052 38,382 24,210 69,928 254,734
2021-04 182,183 42,290 106,157 610,113 176,433 505,594 482,456 55,256 43,663 35,196 92,965 274,050
UK - Instant Answers by industry

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Top tips for SERP
Feature optimisation

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How you can start doing SERP Feature keyword research
Keyword-specific
Looking at a core topic
Domain-specific
Looking at what competitors are doing

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Best practice tips for related question optimisation
Unique content Keyword Generator
Featured snippets Content hubs
Have no duplicated or
similar content on
your domain
Enhance content with
keywords related to
topics that trigger
related questions
Optimise your content
with instant answers
in mind
Become an authority
on relevant,
related topics

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Best practice tips for instant answer optimisation
Unique content Semantics
Quality content Topic focused
Ensure you do not
have any duplicate,
similar or thin content
issues
Utilise semantic
keywords in your
content and HTML
(e.g. H2s)
Answer question in first
paragraph. Related queries
answered implicitly or
explicitly. Authority (e.g.
author, readability level)
Focus on where you
specialise in so you
can win (e.g. internal
links)

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Best practice tips for video optimisation
Title and description Thumbnail
Video transcript Page mapping
Optimise to reflect
what the video
is about
Select an engaging
thumbnail
Also good for web
accessibility
One video on
one page

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Best practice tips for local 3-pack optimisation
Places Analytics
Link and review signals Advanced on-page
Register and complete
your Google My
Business and Bing
Places profiles
Identify and prioritise
stores that are over
(quick win) and
under-performing
Promote your local
businesses using
reviews from loyal
customers
Optimise your content
using semantics, local
language, and include
directions to the store

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Best practice tips for app optimisation
Approval Unique keyword strategy
Title and description Reviews
All public apps must
meet certain criteria.
They need to be
approved
Expand keyword research
with autosuggest. App
optimisation requires a
different keyword approach
Avoid keyword
stuffing, focus on
relevance and value
Like local search,
focus on quality
customer reviews

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Best practice tips for PPC optimisation
Relevance Use extensions
Test Call to actions
Make sure your ads
are only appearing on
relevant searches
Use ad extensions to
provide additional
information and give
your ads more
prominence
Perform A/B testing to
find out what works
best for you and your
audience
Use CTAs in your ads
to drive action

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Summary

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● We have many SERP behaviours.
SERP Features exist to help us find
quality information as quickly as
possible
● Identify what your top opportunities
are and apply best practice
optimisation to succeed
Drive your SERP
Feature presence
● Whilst US and UK SERP Features are
both growing, they are very different.
International brands need to have
country-specific content marketing
strategies to win in their market

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THANK YOU