Different kinds of search results

The search engines are constantly trying to improve the relevancy of the results that they deliver to users. This has resulted in search engines including various different types of results in their index. To help you better understand the different results, here is a breakdown of what you can expect to see and where:

Type: Natural results
Found: Main body of search results

The natural search results make up the main body of the search engine results. These account for the majority of the clicks and will be one of the main forms of driving traffic to the website. They consist of the page title (in blue) followed by a short summary of the page and the URL underneath.

Type: Pay per click results
Found: Above, to the right, or below the natural results depending on the search engine

Unlike the natural results, these adverts are paid for listings created by companies who want exposure on the search engines. These are charged on a pay per click basis meaning that the advertiser is only charged when a user clicks through onto the advertiser’s website. There are often displayed to the right hand side of the natural results but are increasingly being shown above the search engine results.

Type: Image results
Found: Inserted into natural results or on separate page

Image results can be found on a separate tab at the top of the page, different search engines have different image results pages with different functions. Here is an example of Google integrating image results into the natural search results.

Type: Video
Found: Integrated into natural results or on separate tab

More commonly found in Google’s search results as it owns Youtube, the video sharing site. When a relevant term is entered Google will choose to display a link to the video along with an image and duration. Videos can also be searched for through the use of the Video search page which is linked to at the top.

Type: News
Found: In the natural results or on separate page

News results are returned when the search engine deems an article to be relevant to the keyword that was entered. Below is an example of Google displaying news results into natural search.

Searches specifically for news can also be done through the news tab at the top of the search engine.

Type: Local Search results
Found: Above the natural results

When a location based query is entered the search engines will often display a list of local businesses in the search results. This consists of a map with about 7 – 10 businesses displayed along with a link to the relevant website. The locations of these are also located on the map.

Type: Product search
Found: Integrated into the natural results

If a keyword relevant to a product is entered the search engines will often display product results directly integrated into the natural results. These consist of an image of the product, and a small bit of information about the item including the price.

Below is an example of Google integrating product results into the results page.