What is SERP psychology?
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Search strategy is no longer just about ranking in position 1. We used to chase rankings by optimising for a certain keyword, tracking rankings, watching that keyword climb the SERP until we hit the coveted top spot. Now, the search landscape has changed, it is much more complex. SERPs are noisy, with various SERP features and publishers and brands generating tons of content just to appear in the top 10. Users are also savvier than ever, and zero-click searches are happening much more often.
Enter: SERP psychology
SERP psychology is a strategic approach to SEO that prioritises how humans interact with search results, rather than how algorithms rank them. Optimising for the user has been important for a long time, however, this is often only considered on-site. SERP Psychology is the art of understanding how your audience will behave on the SERP, whether that is Google, TikTok, Amazon or any other search results page.
To be successful in today’s search landscape, you need to understand your audience well enough to catch their attention, earn their click and keep them coming back for more.
In this blog we’ll unpack what SERP Psychology means in more detail, show you real examples in action and give you the actions you should be taking to truly understand how your audience behaves on the SERP.
What is SERP psychology?
Put simply, SERP Psychology is the art of understanding how users interact with search results across all platforms. It’s about tapping into attention, emotion, intent and behaviour, rather than just focusing on ranking position.
Ranking no longer equals a click, and ranking alone can’t guarantee revenue. Where and how we appear in the SERPs can still influence these metrics though.
At the most basic level, SERP Psychology is about understanding:
- What does the user want to see in the SERP?
- Which listing will emotionally resonate with them?
- What will they click, save, or recognise next time they see it?
Done well, it forces SEO, DPR, content, social, PPC, and even brand teams together to build a cohesive strategy. And it becomes even more important as zero-click behaviour increases, driven by AI-powered search experiences and ever changing SERP features.
Why SERP Psychology matters
SERPs are no longer “10 blue links” on Google alone you can expect to see:
- AI overviews
- Shopping carousels
- News articles
- TikTok or YouTube shorts
- Local packs
- Knowledge panels
- Reddit threads
- People also ask
And, it isn’t just Google we need to think about any more. Your audience is searching on LLMs such as Chat-GPT, social media, forums, which adds an extra layer of complexity.
Not only are they searching on different platforms, but they are learning behaviours here as well. So what they start to see on TikTok they will start to expect the same on Google.
This means visibility alone is no longer enough, you need to be chosen by your audience, and you can’t do that without SERP Psychology.
The four pillars of SERP Psychology
At Embryo, we approach SERP Psychology through five key principles.
Match SERP intent
Understanding search intent isn’t anything new, but most SEOs stop at the keyword type, such as “informational” or “transactional”.
To be successful at understanding your audience, you need to go deeper than this. It’s about matching what the user expects to see in SERP, from layout, to language. It’s still as simple as ever, but we need to stop thinking about just webpage content. Run the query yourself, what format of content appears? That’s your audience’s expectation, so use this as a starting point.
Optimise for clicks
I don’t mean clickbait, I mean value-based copywriting that entices the users to choose your result. We already know that the SERP is busy, so you have to stand out. Optimise titles, meta descriptions, video captions, etc; with curiosity hooks and visual triggers.
Ask yourself:
- Is this skimmable?
- Would I click this over the one above it?
- Does this evoke interest or emotion?
This is where a great content team (like the one we have at Embryo) plays a huge part, we need to stop thinking like SEOs and more like a tabloid editor. Emotion and intrigue can be generated by clever copy alongside solid SEO optimisations.
Use emotional hooks
I’ve already said this, but I need to further emphasise it, emotion is what breaks through the very noisy SERPs.
As SEOs, we’re used to creating metadata that follows the same stagnant format of “keyword | keyword” and while this does work to drive rankings, it’s no longer enough to generate clicks.
We need to use framing that connects to how users feel. Is the topic exciting, stressful, empowering? Reflect that in your metadata and make sure your brand voice shines through in the SERP. You can use tools such as SparkToro or TikTok to understand your audiences emotional state around the topic to further support this.
Anticipate zero-click behaviour
While we want to drive clicks where possible, there will still be queries where a click is no longer realistic, however that doesn’t mean they are not valuable. These are moments where we can drive brand presence, which we know has a knock-on effect for organic performance.
Being visible in AI overviews, PAA results, featured snippets can help you shape your brand perception and build trust among your audience. If you’re noticing certain queries drive zero clicks, make sure they count by offering the most concise, brand-building answer possible.
For years we’ve obsessed over ranking position as our core SEO metric, but in today’s dynamic SERP landscape this old way of measuring success isn’t enough. We’re seeing clients come to us frustrated with previous SEOs who’ve been telling them they are ranking #1 for a number of new terms but they’re not seeing it impact the bottom line.
It’s time to shift this focus to a new north star metric: Share of Serp.
Share of SERP is the percentage of real estate your brand occupies across all features on a search results page. SERP Psychology tells us that familiarity builds trust with our audience, so the more you are visible in the SERP (whether that’s your own website or it’s content that mentions your brand) the more likely your brand is to come to natural choice.
- Users notice repetition, if your brand shows up multiple times across multiple formats, it triggers familiarity, which is a key part of attention and decision making.
- It mirrors how people scan the SERP. People are no longer guaranteed to click on the first link, now they are thinking “which of these feels right?”
- Multi-format presence signals authority, so if you appear in a guide, a “best of” list, a video, etc. you’re perceived as being “everywhere” which carries weight.
Actions brands can take today
If you’re reading this and ready to apply SERP Psychology to your own strategy, here are some things you can do today:
Scan the SERPs for your key queries
Before changing anything, review the SERPs for your priority keywords to uncover what they actually look like:
- Which content formats dominate?
- Do your competitors appear here or is it publishers?
- What emotions are being triggered by this query
This is where you can start to understand what your audience is expecting to see and which formats are rewarded by the algorithm.
Test meta title rewrites
Instead of the same old format you’ve used site-wide, test some different styles of copy to see what resonates best. You can get inspiration here from social media captions that are driving numbers and reddit thread titles that have high engagement.
So instead of:
Summer Dresses | Women’s Sun Dress | Brand Name
Try:
Summer Dresses for Sizes S – 3XL | Feel confident in the sun
Incorporate emotional and cultural context
What is happening in your audiences world at the moment, is there a movement that they resonate with or is there a popular trend they’ve been talking about? Use this in your strategy.
This can be as simple as using emotionally charged phrases in meta descriptions (e.g. feel confident this summer) or referencing these trends that the audience already understands (e.g. what to wear during a hot girl walk).
This will help you build instant relevance and trust with your audience.
Match the mental model, not just the keyword
You really need to obtain a deep understanding of how your audience is thinking, and this can be as simple as thinking “what would I really mean if I searched this”.
So for example, someone searching for “Best pillow for neck pain” is likely thinking “What pillow is going to help me not wake up with a sore neck every morning.”
We could create a title and content around this thought process, e.g. “Still waking up with neck pain? Here’s how our pillows can help”
This resonates with the way your audience thinks, and not just what they type.
Diversify your SERP touchpoints
The best way to increase your share of SERP is by showing up in multiple formats, which can include:
- Short-form video from YouTube and TikTok
- Organic shopping results
- PR mentions in publications “best of lists”
- Forum mentions such as Reddit
The more places you show up, the more likely you are to be trusted and chosen.
How SERP Psychology changes the role of SEO
SERP Psychology isn’t just a new buzzword, it’s a necessary evolution of how as SEOs, we think about visibility, trust and attention.
Traditional SEO asks: How do I beat the algorithm?
Whereas, SERP Psychology asks: How do I connect with my audience?
This is causing a shift in our entire way of thinking, and it requires more cross-channel collaboration than ever before.
As platforms change, behaviours evolve and SERPs become more unpredictable, brands who understand how to earn this attention will outperform those who rank in position one.
It’s time to write for the user, shape perception and own your share of the SERP.
At Embryo, this is our edge.
Our search strategies are built around the principles of SERP Psychology, combining intent mapping, emotional hooks, format fluency and trend insights. We don’t just optimise for keywords, we craft results that resonate.
If you want an organic strategy that not only gets you seen, but also chosen, get in touch today.
