serp-analysis

name	serp-analysis
description	Analyze current search results for a query cluster to understand intent, result types, competitors, SERP features, content patterns, authority signals, gaps, and realistic search opportunity without reverse-engineering rankings from one snapshot.

SERP Analysis

Use when search strategy needs direct evidence about what users currently encounter for important queries.

Procedure

1. Define the query cluster, geography, language, device or local context, date, and audience being investigated.
2. Capture organic results and relevant SERP features such as snippets, video, images, discussions, local, shopping, news, or other result types present at that time.
3. Classify ranking pages by intent, format, publisher type, freshness, depth, product versus editorial role, and apparent first-hand or authoritative evidence.
4. Identify recurring questions, subtopics, comparison criteria, and content expectations across results without assuming repetition itself is a ranking factor.
5. Inspect domain or brand authority, internal topic coverage, links or citations, user-generated evidence, and unique assets only to the degree they help explain competitive difficulty.
6. Identify weak or stale answers, unsatisfied sub-intents, format gaps, and opportunities where the product has genuinely better evidence or utility.
7. Distinguish opportunities for content, product/tool pages, local presence, community, video, or another format rather than defaulting every query to an article.
8. Record the snapshot and revisit important SERPs because result composition and ranking change over time.

Decision rules

• A SERP is a time-sensitive observation, not a permanent ranking formula.
• Correlation among ranking pages does not prove causation.
• Search opportunity requires both user value and competitive feasibility.
• Do not copy competitor structure where the product can satisfy the intent better another way.

Quality gate

The analysis is ready when current result composition and intent are documented, competitive patterns and gaps are distinguished from speculative ranking causes, the right content or product format is identified, and priority decisions can be revisited from a dated evidence snapshot.