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![\"Google's](\"\/wpe-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/CRP.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAh, the illustrious deity that is Google and its faithful servant, the search engine results page (SERP). We bow down to thee and ask that this content may rank highly and claim the glorious throne that is the first results page…<\/p>\n
If only a prayer could really earn that top spot on page one! While the actual process may not be as dramatic\u2060 (or as straightforward), businesses do indeed have to earn Google’s favor to be recognized in search results.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the search giant appears to be focusing its attention on the relationship between SEO and content, presenting a priceless opportunity to combine robust search strategies and amazing content to drive outrageous growth. But what, exactly, has changed?<\/p>\n
On the eighth day, Google presented the CRP\u2014the content results page. Now don’t get ahead of yourself: this seems to only amount to a test on Google\u2019s part, with no evidence (yet) that this upgrade may even come to fruition. Nevertheless, the CRP is a positive vision of how content may one day be presented on\u00a0 SERPs.<\/p>\n
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The larger snippets of content shown, whether photo or video, allow users to get a more comprehensive taste of what they can expect from each given result. Providing more relevant information right off the bat further shortens the time needed for users to find exactly what they want. This, in turn, plays into the idea of “zero click” searches, where marketing effectively begins on the SERP<\/a>\u2014requiring brands to be more strategic with the information they’re presenting to users before they even reach their sites.<\/p>\n Of course, Google needs to carefully consider how much it can show in SERPs, from both a copyright and website survival standpoint. After all, if users don’t need to go to a website anymore, then most websites\u2014Google’s sole resource\u2014have no reason to exist, which would mean the search engine’s deep fountain of knowledge is slowly turned off. Google must preserve this symbiosis, balancing helping websites generate traffic and helping itself.<\/p>\n If this divine plan becomes reality, it may prove to be another gift bestowed to us by Google’s ongoing quest to optimize search results based on user intent as opposed to keyword matching. This ultimately illustrates the importance of understanding your audience’s user journeys to provide relevance and value at every stage (as explained in our Enterprise-to-Local Playbook<\/a>). Praise be!<\/p>\n It’s also worth noting that user experience (UX)<\/a> plays a significant role here. The overall experience that comes from a SERP interaction\u2014leading to a landing page, and then onward to subsequent navigation through the site\u2014can indeed effect rankings. In the end, it all comes back to businesses understanding how to create the best possible experience for their users, starting with an increasingly rich and dynamic presence on the SERP itself.<\/p>\n We’ve always believed in the power of putting users first by effectively integrating SEO<\/a> and content. But for those who may need some more guidelines, here\u2019s how you can prepare for this anticipated shift:<\/p>\n \n Get exclusive insights into digital Intent, not keywords<\/h2>\n
![\"User](\"\/wpe-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/user-journey.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow do you prepare for the CRP?<\/h2>\n
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