Google SERPs: 8 Tools to Success
The only constant in life is change. This is as true for companies like Google as it is for you and I. What was once all-important, the 10 blue links on each search engine results page, are losing their prominence year-by-year. Now the newest features are quickly gaining importance. Image results, local packs, site links, and knowledge panels are changing the landscape of search marketing.
In the past, your website was all that required your attention. Yet, what good is achieving a higher organic listing than your competition if they have an answer box displayed at the top of the page? Real estate on the SERP is the new goal, and acquiring it in any way possible is the name of the game.
The changes taking place can seem overwhelming at times. Everything you’ve always done to achieve results may not be good enough anymore. So, why not call in a little help? Below we’ve listed 8 tools that can help you make the most of the new situation. All of these tools have a place in your toolbox, and when used correctly they can dramatically improve the work you’re already doing. Try each of them to see what benefits they offer. Here they are:
1. Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
It seems only fitting when discussing tools to improve search results we’d start with Google itself. Their Structured Data Testing Tool labels website data to make it look better to Google. It also lets you know if anything is incorrect or out of place, so fixing the problems you find is a breeze.
2. Moz Pro’s Advanced SERP Feature Tracking
The great minds at Moz have created a tool that will help you keep your eye on the important aspects of the SERP environment. Their tool contains the most comprehensive data set on the market. It provides analysis of featured snippets, image packs, local packs, knowledge cards, knowledge panels, in-depth articles, site links, and more.
3. STAT
STAT is a great tool for finding out if any of your keywords trigger SERP features like answer boxes. It tracks 20,000 websites and 218,000 consumer products daily. That’s good information.
4. Yotpo’s Search Enhancements
Yotpo has created an excellent tool for businesses involved in ecommerce. It has some great features aimed at increasing your SERP visibility. These include:
Inline SEO: Reviews as part of a website’s content to give a broader variety of potential keywords to rank for.
Google Product Listing Ads with Product Ratings: Yotpo gives you the opportunity to display product ratings in your search results helping you stand out from the crowd.
Rich Snippets: Yotpo increases visibility through the use of review and rating rich snippets.
Once again Google makes the list with their incredibly useful Data Highlighter webmaster tool. It instructs Google on the ways in which your website data is structured. You can quickly tag data fields to help Google display them more effectively in as many SERP features as possible.
6. Schema-Friendly WordPress Themes
WordPress has an impressive array of themes available that have schema markup preinstalled. Themes come in categories including industries, formats, and blog platforms.
7. WordPress Schema Markup Plugins
WordPress also has a great selection of schema markup plugins. It’s too long to list here, so we’ll take a look at a few:
All-In-One Schema.org Rich Snippets: Quickly add rich snippet data to your website.
Schema App Structured Data: Edit a WordPress site’s schema markup with no coding experience.
WP Rich Snippets: Helps you markup content to make a site as Google-friendly as possible. Great for reviewers!
8. Rank Ranger’s Google SERP Features Tool
This tool from Rank Ranger offers insights into the presence of various SERP features by tracking them over time. Let them explain it to you, “This free research tool can be used to benchmark and explore the presence and trending of Knowledge Graphs, Ads, Images, Local Pack, News Pack, Related Search and Organic Results counts, plus special page indicators (e.g., breadcrumbs, events, HTTPs, ratings, notable online, image and video thumbnails, search box, sitelinks, Twitter pack, etc.)”.
These tools can help you keep current with SEO best practices. That’s the best way to stay on top of your game, and the industry in general. You should always be looking for news tools and techniques to stay ahead of your competition, so try everything you can to get better every single day. Using all the excellent tools out there can help you do just that.
