In our industry it's easy to throw around acronyms and forget that a lot of the time people outsidde of our SEO world will look at you with a puzzled and bewildered look.  So i thought it was a great time start a series explaining exactly what is meant by our quirky terms and highlight some of the most common terms we throw out there.  I thought I'd start with a simple term, and get the ball rolling, this term actually can give you an insightful look into what SEO actually is (oops, there's another one).  When you hear your SEO team or online marketing advisor refer to "the SERP" they are referencing the "Search Engine Results Page".  The search engine results page is most internet users doorway to your website, and SERP's can come in many different styles and formats depending on which engine you're using.  Today I'll be referencing Google's SERP, undoubtably the most common SERP ever seen.

Google's SERP is divided into organic or natural listings and sponsored or paid listings, I've attached a nice little picture to outline  and differentiate the two.

Now here is how we can start to explain SEO (search engine optimisation) in a little more depth.  Search engines, such as Google, pride themselves on delivering relevant results back to the end user when a specific searh term is typed.  When your website appears in the organic or natural section of the SERP, the search engine has deemed your website relevant to that query.  The other side of the SERP, the sponsored or paid listings, are just that, paid.  The search engine has not necassarily found the websites listed in these sections of the SERP as relevant, but these listings have paid for their positions.

SEO uses techniques that help your website climb the SERP's by ensuring that your site is being indexed properly, and is targeting the right keywords (a lot more goes into than that, but this gives you a quick overview).  Another interesting fact is that generally over 60% of the SERP is dedicated to these organic listings, and according to Business Week they convert at around a 25% higher rate than the paid listings.

It is also important to note that 62% of searchers click on results found on the first page of the SERP, and 90% of searchers simply will not go past the first three pages.  This is where SEO becomes extremely important.  If you are not going to be found on those first three pages (ideally the first), chances are you are missing out on a lot of potential clients/customers.

So next time you hear reference to the SERP, you can now know exactly what is being said, and even throw out some interesting little stats about them.

Happy Searching!