Understanding SERP Analysis: Steps, Tools and Insights
If you want to rank highly on a search engine results page (SERP), you need to dig deeper. That’s where SERP analysis comes in, a process that reveals how and why top-ranking pages perform well and what it would take to outrank them.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about analysing search results effectively, including assessing competitors, uncovering search intent, and positioning your content to match what Google wants to show. Whether you're just starting out or refining your keyword research, this is your blueprint for navigating today’s competitive SEO landscape.
What Is SERP Analysis?
This refers to evaluating the search engine results page for a particular keyword. It’s not simply about seeing who ranks; it’s about understanding why those pages appear, what kind of content format is being rewarded, and what features dominate the page.
When you type a specific keyword into Google search, the results you see, whether they’re blog posts, videos, local listings or product listings, reflect the engine’s best guess at what will satisfy the user. That results page is a live reflection of what Google believes is most useful and relevant. Analysing the SERP allows you to reverse engineer a winning content strategy.
Why It’s Essential for SEO
There’s a temptation to rely purely on tools that give you search volume and keyword difficulty scores. But if you stop there, you miss critical context. Studying the SERP shows the actual landscape, not just theoretical potential.
By analysing the results, you can:
Validate whether the target keyword is truly relevant to your audience and content type
Understand the type of content (for example, guides, videos, product listings) Google prefers for each query
Assess how entrenched the top positions are; some ranking pages are stable and hard to move, while others are volatile
Identify SERP features such as featured snippets, rich snippets, or People Also Ask boxes that you can optimise for
Gauge the competition’s strength based on backlink data, domain authority and other visibility signals
In short, it helps you avoid wasted effort and focus on opportunities that suit your brand and resources.
How the SERP Has Evolved
A decade ago, a Google results page was mostly a list of ten blue links. Today, it’s an interactive blend of:
Organic results
AI overviews
Featured snippets and rich snippets
People Also Ask boxes
Video and image packs
Shopping and local product listings
News and Knowledge Panels
Each of these features competes for attention and impacts where (and if) your page appears. That means to optimise effectively, you must go beyond keywords and understand the page layout itself.
Step by Step: How to Analyse Search Results Properly
Let’s walk through the core steps of a thorough process, the same approach we use here at Perpetual10 to plan and optimise content.
1. Start with Keyword Research, But Don’t Stop There
Every good analysis starts with the right keyword research. Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush or Google Keyword Planner to gather data on:
Search volume: How many times per month the keyword is searched
Keyword difficulty: An estimated metric of how hard it may be to break into the top ten
But this is only your starting point. Two keywords may have identical volume and difficulty scores, yet one might be far more achievable than the other based on the actual ranking pages and search intent. This is why you need to analyse SERP results directly instead of relying on tool metrics alone.
2. Evaluate the Search Intent
This is arguably the most important step. Search intent describes the reason behind the search and what the user hopes to achieve.
There are four primary types:
Informational: Looking for knowledge (for example, "How does SERP analysis work?")
Navigational: Looking for a specific site or page
Transactional: Ready to take action, like buying
Commercial: Researching before a purchase
The type of content ranking on page one reveals the dominant intent. For example, if you see listicles, how-to guides, and explainer articles that suggest informational intent, your product page may not rank, no matter how optimised it is.
Pro tip: Sometimes, a keyword shows fractured intent, where both product pages and informational content rank. In these cases, you may need to test different formats to see what works.
3. Study the Top Ranking Pages
Once you've confirmed the intent aligns with your goal, examine what’s already ranking. Look at:
Content format (video, blog, tool, landing page)
Page depth (word count, structure, subtopics)
Authority metrics (for example, backlinks, referring domains, and domain authority)
Ask yourself:
What do these pages do well?
What are they missing that we could include?
How fresh is the content?
Are any top pages from forums or low authority sites signalling weaker competition?
This step is where additional information becomes crucial. Often, top-ranking content is strong but lacks detail in certain areas. Adding missing context, statistics or practical guidance can be your edge.
4. Identify and Analyse Features
Open the Google results page for your keyword and pay attention to what else is showing. Featured snippets, rich snippets, PAA boxes, videos and maps can push organic results further down, or provide extra visibility if you optimise correctly.
If you see a featured snippet, click through the page holding it. How have they formatted the answer? Can you improve it with clearer structure, schema markup, or more comprehensive information?
Similarly, if PAA boxes dominate the page, consider building an FAQ section into your content using relevant questions and concise answers.
5. Look at Volatility and Position History
Not all top spots are equal. Some results are stable, with the same pages sitting in place for months. Others fluctuate regularly, showing that Google is still testing what works.
Use tools like Ahrefs' “position history” or Semrush’s “volatility” to see whether it’s realistic to compete. If the top five positions haven’t changed in a year and are held by major brands, you may want to aim for long tail variations instead.
Finding Opportunities: What to Look For
After working through the steps above, you’ll start to see gaps, places where your content can outperform or complement what’s already there.
Key signals of opportunity include:
Outdated or shallow content in top positions
Mismatched intent (for example, commercial pages on an informational query)
Pages with low-quality backlinks or poor authority
Content that’s not well structured or lacking depth
This is where your advantage lies. By combining insights from analysing the SERP with quality execution, you can move past competitors who are ranking by default rather than design.
Optimising Your Content
Once you’ve identified the keywords you want to target and mapped the results page, the next step is to produce content tailored to that context.
Here are a few guiding principles:
Match the type of content and structure that’s already ranking (but improve on it)
Add unique value, statistics, expert insights, visuals or original research
Use keyword variations naturally, especially in headers and introductions
Optimise for speed, readability, mobile experience and user experience overall
Consider structured data for eligibility in featured snippets and other feature
If you’re creating content for a term like “how to do a SERP analysis,” and every top result is a long-form blog, don’t make a thin landing page. Make something deeper, clearer and more actionable than what’s already out there.
Tracking and Iterating Over Time
After you publish, the process doesn’t stop. You should:
Monitor rankings and organic search traffic using a rank tracking tool
Check whether your page appears in SERP features and how that changes
Adjust your strategy if the intent or page structure in the top results shifts
Refresh your content regularly to maintain visibility
Even small changes in the results page can affect your position. Staying proactive allows you to adapt faster than the competition.
The Role in Broader Strategy
At Perpetual10, we treat SERP analysis as foundational. It informs our content creation, identifies new keywords to target, and uncovers where we’re likely to see a return on effort.
We’ve found that teams who do this well don’t just chase high-volume terms. Instead, they look at what Google is trying to solve with each query and then aim to solve it better.
That mindset, of understanding before creating, is what separates tactical SEO from strategic success.
Final Thoughts
Analysing the SERP isn’t a luxury for advanced SEO campaigns; it’s a necessity for anyone who wants to succeed in today’s competitive landscape. With constant changes in search intent, page structure and features, relying on keyword data alone is no longer enough.
By taking the time to study how Google presents information, what type of content it prioritises, and where your site fits in, you can make smarter decisions about what to publish, how to optimise it, and what results to expect.
At Perpetual10, we believe that insight leads to action. And by understanding the search engine results page, you give yourself a powerful edge, not just in ranking highly but in staying there.
If you’re serious about SEO, make analysing the SERP a regular part of your process. The data is right there; all you have to do is pay attention.