SERP Features Explained
When you’re looking at your ClickMonster SEO rankings report (by Semrush), you’ll sometimes see small icons next to a keyword. Those icons represent SERP Features—special result types Google may show on the search results page (maps, snippets, FAQs, videos, ads, and more).
These features matter because they can increase visibility and clicks—even when your “blue link” ranking stays the same.
The 4 Most Important SERP Features (for most local businesses)
Local Pack (Map Results)
What it is: A map box (usually 3 listings) showing nearby businesses, with reviews, hours, directions, and call buttons.
Why it matters: For local service searches, this is often where the majority of calls and leads happen.
How you earn it: Strong Google Business Profile optimization, consistent NAP info, reviews, proximity relevance, and location-focused pages.
Sitelinks
What it is: Extra links that appear under your main listing (like “Services,” “Contact,” “Pricing,” etc.).
Why it matters: Takes up more screen space and helps searchers jump directly to high-intent pages.
How you earn it: Clear site structure, strong internal linking, and well-labeled navigation.
AI Overview
What it is: An AI-generated summary that may appear near the top of results for some searches.
Why it matters: It can change what users click—sometimes reducing clicks, sometimes sending high-quality traffic when your site is referenced.
How you earn it: Clear, well-structured content that answers questions directly, strong topical authority, and trustworthy signals (experience, accuracy, citations, brand presence).
Featured Snippet
What it is: A “quick answer” box pulled from a webpage, often shown above the normal results.
Why it matters: You can appear above position #1 and win a big share of attention and clicks.
How you earn it: Concise definitions, lists/steps, tables, and Q&A formatting that matches the search intent.
Organic Search Features
Featured Snippet
What it is: A short excerpt that directly answers the search query and links to the source page.
Sitelinks
What it is: Additional links under a listing that help users navigate deeper into a site.
FAQ
What it is: Expandable questions shown under a result; users can open each question to see an answer.
AI Overview
What it is: An AI-generated summary that may appear on the results page for certain queries.
Instant Answer
What it is: A direct answer shown right on the results page (often without needing to click).
People Also Ask
What it is: A set of related questions that expand to show short answers and additional questions.
Knowledge Panel
What it is: An information box (often on the right side on desktop) summarizing a business, person, or topic.
Top Stories
What it is: A news-focused block highlighting recent articles related to the search.
News
What it is: News results that appear within or near the main results.
Events
What it is: An events listing module showing upcoming events relevant to the query.
Recipes
What it is: A recipe module showing recipe cards for food-related searches.
Jobs
What it is: A job listings module that may appear for job-related searches.
See Results About
Related Searches
Ads & Shopping Features
Ads Top
What it is: Text ads shown at the top of the results page.
Ads Bottom
What it is: Text ads shown at the bottom of the results page.
Shopping Ads
What it is: Paid product listings (often with images, prices, and retailer names), commonly shown near the top.
Related Products
What it is: A product carousel that surfaces items related to the search.
Popular Products
What it is: A product carousel featuring commonly searched/reviewed products for that query.
Images & Video Features
Image
What it is: A single image result shown within the listings.
Image Pack
What it is: A group of images shown together inside the results.
Carousel
What it is: A horizontally scrollable set of visual results (often images, sometimes other media types).
Video
Featured Video
What it is: A product carousel featuring commonly searched/reviewed products for that query.
Video Carousel
What it is: A horizontally scrollable row of videos shown in the results.
Travel / Google Vertical Features
Hotels Pack
What it is: A hotel listing module showing properties, pricing, ratings, and availability options.
Flights
What it is: A flights module showing flight options, times, and pricing (often tied to Google Flights).
Social Features
Twitter (X)
What it is: A block showing recent posts from X related to the search.
Twitter Carousel (X Carousel)
What it is: A scrollable carousel of X posts shown in the results.
Report Indicator
No SERP Features
What it is: For that keyword, Semrush didn’t detect any SERP feature being present in the results at the time it was measured.
Why SERP Features Matter
SERP Features can:
- Increase click-through rate by taking up more space on the page
- Boost credibility (snippets, FAQs, knowledge panels)
- Drive more calls and directions (Local Pack)
- Protect visibility as Google adds new AI-driven layouts
Want Help Winning More SERP Features?
At ClickMonster, we focus on the things that actually move the needle—Local Pack visibility, sitelinks-ready site structure, snippet-friendly content, and modern SEO built for today’s SERPs.