Basics · also called search results page, results page
SERP (search engine results page)
A SERP is the page of results a search engine shows after someone types a query, mixing paid ads with unpaid listings.
SERP stands for search engine results page. Type "cheap car insurance" into Google and the page that comes back is a SERP. It normally contains paid ads marked as sponsored, unpaid ("organic") results, and extras such as maps, shopping panels and, increasingly, AI Overviews.
In search arbitrage the SERP that matters is usually not on Google.com or Bing.com at all. It is a results page on the operator's own site, filled with ads from a search feed. With Google's Related Search on Content, a visitor clicks a related search term on an article and is taken to exactly such a page: a search results page on the publisher's site carrying sponsored listings.
These partner SERPs often show little besides ads, which is one reason advertisers and regulators scrutinise them. Search engines set rules on how they must look, how ads are labelled (ad disclosure) and how many ads may appear (ad depth). Publishers control the appearance only within the limits of a Google-managed Style ID.
An example
A visitor on an article about hearing aids taps "hearing aid prices". The next page, on the same site, lists four sponsored listings from hearing-aid sellers. That page is the partner SERP.
Related terms
Sponsored listing
A sponsored listing is a paid search ad that looks like a search result and charges the advertiser when someone clicks it.
Two-click flow
A two-click flow is a monetisation path where the visitor first clicks a keyword and then clicks a search ad, with only the second click earning money.
Related Search on Content (RSOC)
Related Search on Content is a Google AdSense for Search feature that shows search suggestions on an article, each leading to an ad-carrying results page on the same site.
Ad depth
Ad depth is the number of search ads returned and shown for a single request or results page.
AI Overviews
AI Overviews are AI-written summaries that Google shows at the top of some search results, answering the question directly with links to sources.
Sources: Google AdSense Help: Related search for your content pages