SERP Features

The SERP Features Chart shows you which special elements appear in search results for your keywords – like Featured Snippets, FAQ boxes, or Knowledge Panels. Understanding which features appear helps you optimise your content to capture these valuable positions, which often appear above regular search results.

Think of SERP features as "premium real estate" on search engine results pages. They're eye-catching, appear prominently, and can dramatically increase your visibility and click-through rates.

What Are SERP Features?

Common SERP Features

Featured Snippets

• Short answer boxes at the top of Google results
• Often pulled from position 2-5 in regular results
• Include text, lists, or tables

People Also Ask (PAA)

• Expandable questions related to the search
• Each answer links to a source page
• Great for building authority

Knowledge Panels

• Information boxes about entities (companies, people, places)
• Appear on the right side of results (desktop)
• Pull from multiple sources including your website

Local Pack

• Map with local business listings
• Shows for searches with local intent
• Critical for brick-and-mortar businesses

Image Pack

• Grid of images related to the search
• Can appear in various positions
• Links to image sources

Video Carousel

• Row of video thumbnails
• Often from YouTube or major video platforms
• Excellent for video content creators

Reviews/Ratings

• Star ratings and review counts
• Appear with product or business listings
• Increase trust and click-through rates

Site Links

• Additional links under main search result
• Show for brand searches or high-authority sites
• Help users navigate directly to specific pages

Getting Started

Accessing the Chart

1. Navigate to Keywords in your SERP360 dashboard
2. Look for the SERP Features section
3. The chart displays automatically based on your selected filters

Understanding the Display

The chart is a stacked column chart where:

• X-axis (horizontal): Different SERP feature types
• Y-axis (vertical): Number of keywords triggering that feature
• Coloured segments: Each search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
• Numbers on columns: Exact keyword count for each engine

Using the Filters

1. Search Group Filter

Select which website or domain to analyse:

• Choose from your configured search groups
• Each represents a tracked website or project
• The chart updates automatically when you change groups

Example: If you manage multiple clients, select the specific client's search group to see their SERP feature coverage.

2. Keyword Selector

Focus on a single keyword:

• All Keywords: See aggregate data (how many keywords trigger each feature)
• Specific Keyword: See which features appear for that exact search term

Tip: Start with "All Keywords" to identify trends, then drill down to specific keywords for detailed optimisation.

Reading the Chart

Column Heights

Tall columns = Many keywords trigger this feature

Short columns = Few keywords trigger this feature

No column = No keywords currently trigger this feature

Colour Segments

Each column is divided by search engine:

• Pink: Google
• Blue: Bing
• Orange: Yahoo

The height of each coloured segment shows how many keywords trigger that feature on that specific engine.

Numbers on Columns

The numbers displayed inside each segment show the exact count of keywords.

Example interpretation:

Featured Snippet column:
- Pink segment (Google): 15 keywords
- Blue segment (Bing): 8 keywords
- Orange segment (Yahoo): 5 keywords

This means 15 of your keywords trigger Featured Snippets on Google, 
8 on Bing, and 5 on Yahoo.

Using the AI Analysis

When to Use AI Analysis

Use AI analysis to get specific recommendations for:

• Capturing features you're not currently appearing in
• Improving content for features you're close to winning
• Understanding technical requirements for each feature type

Running the Analysis

Important: You must select a specific keyword (not "All Keywords") to run AI analysis.

1. Use the Keyword Selector dropdown to choose a single keyword
2. Click the AI Analysis button
3. Wait 10-30 seconds for the system to analyse your content
4. Results appear below the chart

What the AI Provides

The AI analysis gives you a complete action plan with three main sections:

1. Recommended Actions (Primary Section)

This is the most important part – specific tasks you can implement immediately:

• Task: What needs to be done
• Keyword: The search term being targeted
• Target Feature: Which SERP feature you're aiming to capture
• Section: Where on your page to make changes
• Current State: What exists now
• Recommended Change: Exactly what to add or modify
• Technical Specifications: Code, markup, or structure needed
• Priority: When to do it (High, Medium, Low)

Example Recommendation:

3. Detailed Analysis (in Accordion)

Click "Detailed Analysis" to expand additional insights:

Content Overview

• Feature Readiness: How close you are to capturing features
• Content Structure: How your content is currently organised
• Feature Gaps: Specific missing elements

Feature Gap Analysis For each feature type:

• Requirements: What's needed to trigger the feature
• Current Status: How you're performing now
• Competitor Insights: How others are capturing this feature

Technical Requirements

• Schema Markup Examples: Complete code ready to copy/paste
• HTML Structure Recommendations: How to format your content

Taking Action

Adding Recommendations to Kanban

Every recommendation includes an "+ Add to Kanban" button.

How to use it:

1. Find a recommendation you want to implement
2. Click the "+ Add to Kanban" button
3. Select which project board to add it to (a popup appears)
4. The task is created with all details pre-filled
5. The button changes to a checkmark (✓) showing it's been added

What gets added to Kanban:

• Task title
• Page URL to edit
• Keyword being targeted
• Target SERP feature
• Current state of content
• Recommended changes
• Technical specifications
• Priority level

Prioritising Your Work

The AI assigns priority levels based on impact and effort:

High Priority

• Quick wins with significant impact
• Features you're close to capturing
• High-traffic keywords
• Action within: 1-2 weeks

Medium Priority

• Important but not urgent
• Requires more substantial content work
• Moderate-traffic keywords
• Action within: 1-2 months

Low Priority

• Nice to have but not critical
• Lower-traffic keywords
• Complex implementations
• Action when: Time permits

Implementing Schema Markup

Many SERP features require schema markup – structured data that helps search engines understand your content.

What the AI provides:

• Complete JSON-LD code
• Ready to copy and paste
• Realistic values relevant to your content
• Placement instructions

How to implement:

1. Copy the provided JSON-LD code
2. Paste it into your page's HTML (usually in the <head>   section or before </body>  )
3. Test using Google's Rich Results Test tool
4. Wait for Google to re-crawl your page (can take days to weeks)

Example Schema Types:

• FAQ Schema: For Featured Snippets and FAQ rich results
• HowTo Schema: For step-by-step guides
• Review Schema: For star ratings in results
• Organization Schema: For Knowledge Panels
• Article Schema: For article-type content features

Understanding Different Feature Types

Features You Control Directly

Featured Snippets

• What it is: Answer box at top of results
• How to capture: Write concise 40-60 word answers in clear formatting
• Best for: Question keywords ("how to", "what is", "why does")

FAQ Rich Results

• What it is: Expandable question boxes in results
• How to capture: Add FAQ section + FAQ schema markup
• Best for: Keywords with multiple related questions

HowTo Rich Results

• What it is: Step-by-step instructions in results
• How to capture: Create numbered steps + HowTo schema
• Best for: Process/tutorial keywords

Review Rich Results

• What it is: Star ratings displayed in search results
• How to capture: Add Review schema with actual ratings
• Best for: Product pages, service pages

Features That Require External Signals

Knowledge Panels

• What it is: Information box about your brand/company
• How to influence: Claim Google Business Profile, add Organization schema, build Wikipedia presence
• Timeline: Months to establish

Site Links

• What it is: Additional links below main result
• How to influence: Strong site structure, clear navigation, internal linking
• Timeline: Develops over time with site authority

Features Based on Content Type

Image Pack

• What it is: Grid of images in results
• How to capture: Optimise images with proper alt text, filenames, and context
• Best for: Visual products, infographics, tutorials with images

Video Carousel

• What it is: Row of video thumbnails
• How to capture: Create video content, optimise video titles/descriptions, add Video schema
• Best for: Tutorial, review, or entertainment content

P

eople Also Ask

• What it is: Related questions that expand
• How to influence: Comprehensive content covering related topics
• Best for: Informational keywords with multiple sub-questions

Troubleshooting

"No Data Found"

Possible causes:

• No keywords tracked for selected filters
• SERP features haven't been checked recently
• Category has no assigned keywords

Solutions:

• Verify keywords are being tracked
• Check if SERP feature tracking is enabled
• Adjust filters (try "All Categories")

"Please Select a Keyword" (AI Analysis)

Cause: AI analysis requires a specific keyword (not "All Keywords")

Solution: Use the Keyword Selector dropdown to choose a single keyword before clicking the AI Analysis button.

Chart Shows No Features

Possible causes:

• Your keywords don't trigger SERP features
• Search engines haven't featured your content type
• Features exist but you're not capturing them

Solutions:

• This is informational – it shows opportunity
• Use AI analysis to learn how to capture features
• Focus on features common for your keyword type

Schema Markup Not Working

Debugging steps:

1. Use Google's Rich Results Test tool to validate your markup
2. Check for JSON syntax errors (missing commas, brackets)
3. Ensure schema is in the correct format (JSON-LD)
4. Verify required properties are present
5. Wait for recrawl (can take 1-2 weeks)

AI Analysis Returns Generic Advice

Possible causes:

• No URL found for the keyword
• Page content couldn't be scraped
• Keyword has no SERP feature opportunities

Solutions:

• Verify the keyword has a ranking URL
• Check if the page is publicly accessible
• Try a different keyword with clearer feature potential

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the chart and AI analysis?

The Chart: Shows which features currently appear for your keywords (diagnostic view)

AI Analysis: Tells you how to capture features you're not currently winning (prescriptive guidance)

Use the chart to identify opportunities, then use AI analysis to learn how to capture them.

Can I capture multiple SERP features for one keyword?

Yes! Many keywords trigger multiple features. A single well-optimised page can appear in:

• Regular results (position 1-10)
• Featured Snippet
• FAQ rich results
• Image Pack
• Video carousel (if you have video content)

Do SERP features help my rankings?

Not directly, but they:

• Increase click-through rates (more traffic)
• Improve brand visibility
• Can lead to better engagement metrics
• Often correlate with strong content (which does help rankings)

Should I optimise for all three search engines?

Start with Google (largest market share). The optimisations you make for Google usually benefit Bing and Yahoo as well, since they use similar technologies.

However, if your audience heavily uses Bing (common in enterprise environments), prioritise accordingly.

What if I don't have schema markup experience?

The AI provides complete, ready-to-use schema markup. You can:

1. Copy the provided JSON-LD code
2. Give it to your developer
3. Or use plugins (WordPress users: Schema Pro, Rank Math)
4. Or use Google Tag Manager to inject schema

You don't need to understand the code – just implement it exactly as provided.

Why do my features fluctuate?

SERP features are competitive and can change because:

• Competitors optimise their content
• Google tests different feature layouts
• Your rankings change
• Content becomes outdated
• Algorithm updates

Solution: Monitor regularly and maintain content.

Can I lose SERP features I've captured?

Yes. Features can be lost if:

• Competitors create better content
• Your content becomes outdated
• You remove schema markup
• Your page rankings drop significantly
• Google changes its feature criteria

Prevention: Keep content updated and maintain schema markup.

Does the category filter affect AI recommendations?

Yes! The AI analysis considers:

• Which category the keyword belongs to
• Common features for that category
• Content patterns in that category

This ensures recommendations are relevant to your content type.