We wanted to determine what kinds of e-commerce content rank well in search engines. So we looked at the top five e-commerce categories’ traffic trends and SERP features. Electronics, Home & Garden, Fashion, Sport, and Health & Beauty were our research subjects.
This study used SEMrush to collect and analyze SERP Features data. Some SERP features were linked to a domain, while others were not. As a result, we included these SERP Features that were not linked to domains in our analysis.
You may be wondering why we chose to focus on SERP Features in this article. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, you might be wondering, “What is a SERP Feature?”
Tighten your seatbelt. We offer solutions that will work for you.
SERP Features: What They Are and Why They Matter
The user experience of search engines is always improving. SERP Features are one of their biggest and most effective attempts to improve UX.
So, what are the features of a SERP?
SERP stands for search engine results page, which is the page that appears after a query is submitted to Google, Bing, or another search engine.
Search engines have realized that query results cannot always be shown similarly. As a result, they’ve implemented some elements on search engine results pages to improve their users’ experience. SERP Features are the terms for these features.
SERP Features assist users in locating information without having to click on search results. You should be on the lookout for two types of SERP features as a webmaster:
- SERP Features that lead to a domain
- Features in the SERPs that do not lead to a domain
Your e-commerce content should ideally rank on a SERP Feature that links to a domain. However, you can gain from them even if they don’t lead to a domain.
If you’re still not convinced, let’s look at why you should optimize for SERP Features.
Why SERP Features Matter
The short answer is transparency and trust.
People are more likely to trust websites that feature in the SERP Features section. SERP Features also give those websites a lot of visibility, which might lead to traffic because they appear prominently in search results.
The majority of SERP Features appear in the top five search results. For example, more than 67 per cent of all clicks occur inside the first five search results, while commercial snippets account for 9.28 per cent of featured snippets.
How can e-commerce enterprises get SERP Features if they are so powerful?
You don’t have to waste countless hours or days trying to figure out how to rank your content for SERP Features. Instead, SEMrush gets down to the point and highlights SERP Feature possibilities. You’ll know what keywords rank for various SERP features, as well as find keywords that have the potential to rank for a SERP Feature, thanks to SEMrush.
Six Ways to Earn SERP Features
SEMrush’s tools can help you uncover SERP feature changes immediately. Let’s have a look at them.
Leverage the On-Page SEO Checker Tool
Users can utilize the On-Page SEO Checker tool to get tips on making the most of SERP features.
Organic Positions Report
Search for a domain, such as adidas.com, on SEMrush. If you search for keywords that lead to winning SERP Features in its organic ranks, you’ll find them. You’ll also notice that the domain has already been awarded SERP Features.
Meanwhile, extra information can be found on the report’s Overview page, which is divided into SERP Features that link to that domain and those that don’t.
Position Tracking
The Position Tracking tool in SEMrush will help you uncover SERP Features possibilities. SERP Features can be discovered using keywords that you’ve configured to monitor.
The SERP Features you got or lost and the ones you still have been displayed in your position tracking. You can filter the reports to find opportunities that are worth pursuing.
Keyword Magic Tool
Using the Keyword Magic Tool’s filters, you may find SERP Features.
Sensor Tool
In any business, you may use the Sensor Tool to see which SERP Features Google emphasizes the most in their first 20 search results. The tool also displays daily changes in these SERP Features across the industry’s top 20 search results. Percentages in the red and green show these changes.
Certain SERP Features are better suited for specific environments. As a result, those markets and categories will have a higher share of the SERP Feature. For example, local Packs are more common in location-based markets, such as Real Estate, Travel, and Hospitality, while they are less common in Books and Electronics.
Keyword Difficulty Tool
This tool will show you a report on the rank difficulty of one or more keywords if you enter one or more. In addition, a SERP Feature that a keyword might activate is also shown in that report.
What SERP features can you target, and how can they help you? Continue reading to find out the answers.
What Are the Different Types of SERP Features and How Do They Help Your E-Commerce Business?
24 Types of SERP Features and How They Benefit Your E-commerce Business
Featured Snippets
Answers to questions on Google are summarized in Featured Snippets. It provides fast responses to searchers, eliminating the need for them to click on the search results. This type of SERP Feature is typically found near the top of the search results page.
People also inquire
This feature is a list of questions related to the search query that appears as a dropdown menu. You’ll find them near the top of the page, usually among the first five results.
Reviews
This feature displays an excerpt from user-submitted business, product, or service evaluations or ratings on Google. Under the domain highlighted in the SERP, you’ll see a star rating and review count for this SERP Feature.
Flights
In response to your search query, you will get a block presenting search results on flight schedules. The data for this SERP Feature comes from Google Flights. It displays flight information such as flight time, booking rates, schedule, and the number of airport transfers, among other things.
Site Links
A search result can find site links beneath a domain’s description. This SERP feature allows you to view specific areas of the website. This is a common trait of well-known brands.
Video
In search results, the video SERP Feature displays a video thumbnail to indicate that the search result contains a video.
Image Collection
If Google thinks it’s OK to reveal image results to users, they’ll see them in their search results. Image Pack, unlike Featured Snippets and People Also Asked results, can show anywhere on a SERP.
Featured Video
Featured videos are prominently shown on the SERP’s first search result. Users can watch a featured video immediately by hitting the play button directly on the search results.
Top Stories
Top stories are blocks of news articles relevant to a searcher’s query. This SERP Feature may display at the top of the search results page or as the user travels down the page.
Adwords Bottom
Google’s adverts are frequently displayed at the top of search results. Those are Ad Tops ads. However, adverts may display at the bottom of search results similarly as they do at the top.
Image
Image SERP Features provide thumbnails of images among other organic search results for that query.
Image Carousel
Scrollable photos appear in search results as Image Carousel SERP Features.
Hotels Pack
The Hotel Pack SERP Feature displays results for hotel-related inquiries like location, pricing, ratings, and availability.
Featured Image
In mobile search results, featured images appear. This SERP feature is found at the top of the search results page. When Google determines that visual results are more appropriate for the search term than text, this type of result appears after a search query.
Jobs Search
The SERP Feature for Job Search is found at the top of search engine results pages. It displays the hiring company, the job title, the job posting’s geographical location, and other relevant information.
Instant Answer
Google’s knowledge graph provides an instant answer. This SERP Feature provides a searcher with an immediate response to their question.
This capability may also be used to provide solutions to math word problems.
This function can convert currencies or use numbers from websites that convert currencies.
Adwords Top
Although they are paid SERP Features, they are prominently shown on search engines. Adwords Top occupies the top four slots on search engines. When Google Ads emerge for a keyword, it could indicate a lot of demand for that search.
Video Carousel
At the top of the SERP, the Video Carousel SERP Feature appears as a scrollable video.
Shopping Ads
Businesses that use the Google Shopping network are eligible for Shopping Ads. While this is mostly an advertisement, the real estate it occupies significantly impacts rankings. This result appears at the top of the search results.
Knowledge Panel
Knowledge Panels provide background information on a variety of topics. They are located on the right side of the search engine results page (SERP). This SERP feature displays results for searches regarding renowned persons, locations, or things.
AMP
Google gives preference to websites that provide a great mobile experience. As a result, faster mobile pages have gained popularity (AMP). These websites use lightweight code to load their pages quickly on mobile and web browsers.
When accelerated mobile pages appear in search results, they are labelled with the “AMP” symbol.
FAQ
FAQs are questions that mirror what people are looking for, so when people click on them, they get answers to their inquiries.
This SERP feature displays a search query’s most current or trending tweets. Although this SERP Feature does not connect to the Twitter account owner’s website, it does include a link to their Twitter page, which can bring more exposure.
Local Bundle
Local Pack is a SERP feature for businesses with a physical location. Local Packs queries are accompanied by maps that show specific details such as the address, ratings, open and close times, phone numbers, and more.
SERP Feature Performance Across E-commerce Categories
We listened to our advice. As a result, we used SEMrush to detect and evaluate traffic distribution across SERP Features for five e-commerce business categories.
SERP Features aren’t created equal across categories or markets. For different e-commerce markets, SERP Features enjoy different visitor levels. Our study examines how each SERP Feature performed in five different e-commerce markets:
- Electronics
- Garden and Home
- Fashion
- Sports
- Beauty and good health
Only e-commerce stores in Italy were studied in this study
Electronics
The top ten domain-linking SERP Features in the electronics category, based on traffic volume, are
- Reviews
- Image collection
- Links to other websites
- People also inquire
- A snippet of the day
- Video
- Carousel of Videos
- Panel of experts
- FAQ
- Local Bundle
A total of 14 SERP Feature a link to originating domains in the list above.
However, 22 SERP Features in this category do not link to domains.
The reviews occurred in 865,136 keywords in the electronics area, accounting for roughly 75% of all keywords in this category.
Image Pack finished in second place with 15.68 per cent of the vote and was found in 181,008 keywords. Site Links came in third place, appearing in 72,816 keywords, or 6.31 per cent of the total.
Reviews still led the Pack for SERP Features that do not connect to domains, although they dominated less. It was found in 4.09 million keywords and had a 25.42 per cent market share. With an appearance in 3.21 million keywords, Image Pack owned 21.82 per cent of the market.
On the other hand, the Video SERP Feature climbed to fourth place with over 1.88 million keywords and just Site links. There were 2.25 million keywords in the site links.
It’s only natural that reviews dominate the electronics area. Electronics are the most popular online shopping category, with 69 per cent of buyers shopping in this area. Consumers compare features and functions before purchasing an electronic item and frequently provide feedback on review websites.
As a result, e-commerce companies and product owners can win SERP Features by focusing on reviews, image packs, site links, and videos in their strategies.
However, optimizing for featured snippets or shopping advertisements if you sell gadgets, for example, may be unprofitable.
Garden and Home
Here are the top five SERP Features that link to domains:
- Reviews
- Image Collection
- Site Addresses
- Panel of Experts
- Local Bundle
The Home and Garden category is almost identical to the Electronics category in layout. The key difference is the percentage of keywords that use each SERP Feature. With 180,444 keywords, Reviews has nearly 45 per cent of the keywords in the Home and Garden category; that figure is much higher in the Electronics market.
Here, Image Pack was given a boost. It has 117,590 keywords, accounting for 29.28% of the terms in this category. DERP Features that link to domains are represented in all of these diagrams.
In the linking-to-domain group, 11 of the 14 items have less than 0.5 per cent keyword representation. Knowing which SERP Features are getting the most attention could indicate what types of content and engagement the audience in this area is looking for.
Image Pack is the most popular SERP feature that does not link to a domain, followed by Reviews, Site Links, and Videos.
Although there are 22 SERP Features in the not-linking-to-domain group, the first four dominate this area.
The fact that Featured Snippets, Images, and AMP don’t get much attention here is telling. However, depending on the level of particular traffic terms received, the lack of these SERP Features may represent unrealized opportunities.
Fashion
For obvious reasons, people in the Clothing and Fashion industry seem more concerned with images. People dress partly to make themselves appear appealing. As a result, Image Pack is the most popular SERP Feature, accounting for 148,937 keywords, or 41.88 per cent of the total.
The following are the top five Fashion SERP Features.
- Image Collection
- Site Addresses
- Reviews
- Local Bundle
- Knowledge Panel
However, the top three SERP Features account for 97.77 per cent of the keywords in this category.
The remaining eleven characteristics have a keyword share of 2.33 per cent. People are drawn to graphics, reviews, and companies as a result. SERP Features that do not provide links suffer a similar fate.
The first five SERP Features that do not connect to domains account for around 84 per cent of terms in this category. The remaining 17 SERP Features share just over 16 per cent of the remaining keywords.
3.46 million keywords were found in the Image Pack without any domain links. In addition, 2.79 million, 2.12 million, 1.1 million, and 0.77 million keywords were found in the categories of reviews, site links, video, and local pack, respectively.
This can translate to buyers reading brand reviews, watching product videos, and then going to local stores to buy.
Sport
In the Sports category, the top SERP Features are
- Reviews
- Image Collection
- Site Addresses
- Panel of Experts
- Local Bundle
That area, however, is dominated by the top two SERP Features. In other words, 90% of the time, customers trust sites with reviews and product photos.
The other 12 entries share ten per cent of the keywords in the list. 8.56 per cent of that ten per cent goes to Site Links, leaving less than 1.5 per cent for the bottom eleven SERP Features.
The Review feature appears on the SERP for over 67 per cent of sports queries. Image Packs appear in over 23% of those keywords. Image Pack, on the other hand, leads in SERP Features that don’t connect in domains in the Sports category.
The top five SERP Features have a total percentage of terms that do not connect to domains of 80.84 per cent. The remaining 19.16 per cent is split among the bottom 17 SERP Features.
Shopping Ads, Local Pack, and AdWords Top, the sixth and eighth SERP Features, hold 12.71 per cent of the term utilized here. These SERP Features’ keywords may be worth pursuing due to their buyer-intent nature.
For example, image Pack, Reviews, and Site Links each include 0.80, 0.76, and 0.43 million keywords. As a result, the Sport SERP Feature has the fewest keywords.
Beauty and Health
People rely on reviews to determine whether a Health or Beauty product is suitable, just as they do in the Electronics market. As a result, the Review SERP Feature is preferred by 76.72 per cent of the keywords in this market that connect to domains.
With 18.23% of the keywords in this space, Image Pack is a distant second. Site Links is in third place, with only 2.49 per cent of terms.
According to those figures, the top three SERP Features that connect to Health and Beauty domains account for 97.44% of the terms in this category. The remaining 11 SERP Features share a mere 2.56 per cent of the keywords in this category.
Reviews account for 28% of SERP Features that do not connect to domains. This figure, on the other hand, reflects a much larger number of terms than the SERP Features that link to domains. Image Pack is in second place with 1.2 million keywords, accounting for 24.07 per cent of the total.
Traffic Patterns in Different E-Commerce Categories
The distribution of terms among these SERP Features has been discussed. What about the site’s actual traffic? It’s pointless to rank for keywords if you’re not getting any traffic from them, right?
The success of these keywords in terms of traffic across categories indicates a link to their keyword quantities. As you might guess, the Electronics category has more visitors than the others.
In November, the Electronics category had 5.425 million visitors at its peak. Conversely, April was the category’s slowest month, with 3.558 million visitors.
Home & Garden had the second-highest traffic performance, with 1.55 million visitors at its peak in November and 1.142 million in March, the least-performing month.
Clothing ranks third and fourth in traffic, with 1.085 million visitors in November and 680,266 visitors in August, respectively.
While each category’s lowest-performing month is different, November is the best-performing month for all of them. This surge could be attributed to holiday shopping and November’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions.
Summary
For e-commerce keywords, the three most important SERP Features are:
- Reviews
- Image Collection
- Site Addresses
Reviews and Image Pack are almost tied for first place. When buying from internet suppliers, this pattern reveals that two things matter more than anything else:
- Product or vendor evaluations
- Product images
However, one thing is evident from this study. Fewer links are being assigned to more SERP Features and keywords by Google. It’s one thing to show up in the search engines, but it’s another to attract clicks. As a result, winning SERP Features with links is extremely difficult.
Businesses must now compete for SERP Features with links in addition to competing for SERP Features with links. Those who will succeed must now devise tactics to take advantage of SERP Features with a big volume of traffic but no links.
Smart companies would rather use these SERP Features to obtain a fast reputation and stand out on search engines. So, if you want to use SERP Features to attract traffic and grow your business, this SEMrush guide will come in handy.
