What Is SERP Analysis, and What Is It Used For?

SERP analysis involves evaluating the top-ranking search results for a target keyword to understand what searchers are looking for and what kind of content to create. It can help you determine whether a keyword aligns with business goals, choose a content format, identify gaps in existing content, and assess how difficult it may be to compete. The point is not simply to know who ranks highest, but to inform keyword selection and content planning. However, analyzing results and filling content gaps does not guarantee higher rankings.

What Should You Examine in SERP Analysis?

According to Semrush, you can first choose the keywords you want to rank for, then analyze the top search results for those terms. Look beyond ranking positions to examine the content itself:

• Content type and format: What forms of content currently appear? This helps you decide whether to create articles or videos, or use another suitable format.
• Search intent: Use the top results to infer what kind of information searchers need, rather than deciding what to write based solely on the literal wording of a keyword.
• Content coverage: Which questions does the existing content answer, and what information is still missing?
• Competition: Assess the quality and overall authority of competing content to help gauge ranking difficulty.

Semrush’s article primarily uses Google as an example, but explicitly states that this approach also applies to other search engines.

Helping You Make Choices, Not Just Copy the Top Results

During keyword research, SERP analysis can help confirm whether a term aligns with business goals. Even if a term seems related to a product, you still need to examine the actual search results to see whether the content searchers want matches what you plan to provide.

During content planning, the analysis can help determine the format and key information to include. Top-ranking results can guide your choice of format, while supplying information missing from competitors’ content may make your content more valuable. The goal is not to copy existing articles, but to identify readers’ needs and unanswered questions.

At Procrustes, we turn the questions that matter to customers into articles, with ongoing content planning, writing, and updates.

Examining the quality and authority of competing content can also help estimate how difficult it may be to rank. This informs planning; it does not guarantee rankings. Semrush’s article likewise says only that filling content gaps “may” help you outrank competitors.

Example: Looking Beyond Course Descriptions When Selling French Courses

A Semrush article with a listed publication year of 2022 uses the example of a business selling French courses and targeting the keyword “business french.” The search results in its example indicate that searchers are looking for informational blog posts and videos, so content planning need not focus solely on course sales pages.

The point of this example is to use search results to guide your content planning before deciding what to create. It does not confirm today’s search results for that keyword or mean that all language courses should use the same content formats.