The Google search landscape has drastically changed, evolving the way we all have to think about SEO. With over 25+ years experience in the SEO industry, we've seen the death of the blue links and an introduction to a zero click world which is forcing organic search marketers to think more about dominating the SERP real estate (share of SERP) than getting to the top of the list.

In this guide we will run through all of Google's new SERP features, when they got introduced, what it means for organic seo in 2025, what is multi-channel search and how you can better optimise onsite and off-site to grow your organic

There are now 38-50 new features added to the Google SERP, and here you can see a full list of them:

Full list of new Google SERP features

Some of them link out to a domain, but a vast majority of them don't. Stealing clicks and impressions.

A recent study/analysis shows most queries display on average 6 above the 10 blue links. For more competitive terms like “Credit Cards” we’re seeing up to 15!

And one thing we can see, they're very visual! It looks a lot like this…

And remember, this is purely organic.

How many ads are shown in the Google SERPs above organic?

Not only are all these features taking up the Google SERP, but a recent study by Conductor reveals Google is also showing 9 or more ads in 55% of Google SERPS.

Why has Google brought in all these new SERP features?

Google regularly updates its Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) with new features to improve user experience and meet changing needs. Users have become more impatient, wanting a quicker answer to their queries. Users found themselves going to TikTok and YouTube to get a quicker answer which Google struggled to beat.

When did each Google SERP feature get introduced?

Each Google SERP feature got introduced individually across a 20 year period and more visual features in more recent years. Google often tests the features first with a small handful of audiences usually in America USA before rolling out worldwide.

Here's a comprehensive list of key Google SERP features and when they were introduced in chronological order, from the earliest to the most recent:

2000s

1. Google Ads (Text Ads) (2000): Sponsored text-based ads at the top and bottom of results.
2. Images (2001): Introduction of image search results.
3. Videos (2007): Videos started appearing in search results.
4. Flight Search Integration (2011): Real-time flight availability and pricing.
5. Knowledge Panel (2012): Entity-based information for people, places, and organizations.
6. Weather Widgets (2012): Localized weather forecasts in SERPs.
7. Shopping Ads (2012): Image-based product ads for e-commerce queries.
8. Hotel Search Integration (2013): Displays hotel availability and pricing.
9. Real-Time Sports Scores (2013): Live sports updates integrated into search.

2010s

1. Local Pack / Map Pack (2014): Displays maps and nearby businesses.
2. Featured Snippets (2014): Direct answers displayed at the top of the SERP.
3. People Also Ask (PAA) (2015): Expanding question-and-answer dropdowns.
4. Top Stories (2016): Highlights trending news articles.

2020s

1. Short-Form Video Carousels (2020–2021): Integration of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.
2. "About This Result" Panel (2021): Provides context on why a result appears.
3. Things to Know (2021): Breaks complex queries into smaller, topic-related cards.
4. Shopping Graph Features (2021–2022): Enhancements like price trends and "Nearby" availability.
5. Explore More Suggestions (2022): Query refinement with related topics.
6. Multisearch Results (Google Lens) (2022): Combines text and images for richer queries.
7. Perspectives Carousel (2023): Features content from forums, blogs, and social media.
8. "Discussions and Forums" Section (2023): Highlights community-driven content.
9. Interactive AI Snapshots (2023): Summarized responses using Google's generative AI.

This timeline captures the introduction of features and highlights Google's continuous innovation in SERP design. Some features are updated regularly to align with user behavior and technological advancements.

What you can see is a bigger introduction in recent years of more creative visual content like TikTok videos, image packs, AI overviews etc. TikTok videos started appearing in the SERPs in 2021 and YoY there's been an increase in TikTok SEO of 119% according this list of TikTok stats

Which SERP feature is displayed the most in the top 20 results on Google?

When analysing 25 industries and 38 SERP features across Travel, Retail, Sports, Real estate and more, the below image shows which SERP features are displayed the most.

Related searches are shown in 92% of Top 20 Google search results, followed by site links (71%), Image packs (54%), Reviews (53.9%) and people also ask (50.7%).

SEO IN 2025 IS INTERCONNECTED - THE GOOGLE SERP & ALGORITHM IS NOW MADE UP OF A MULTITUDE OF OFFSITE AND ONSITE SOURCES

It’s not just Google though!

All search platforms (TikTok, YouTube, etc) are now overlapping, pulling features from multi sources including Google, to better provide an answer

Multi channel search and offsite plays a huge role in this. And we need to consider, being discoverable in all aspects.

1. Take Top 10 roundups as an example:

Top 10 product roundups are extremely popular and high ranking as a SERP feature and in the media. We want to make sure your brand is featured when it comes to your niche

2. Reviews on social:

What others are saying about your product/brand is crucial now as a trusted source. We work with creators and influencers to create high ranking content that's visible on social SERPS and Google SERPS. As mentioned 53% of search results now show reviews in the top 20 so its crucial we dominate here. Read more about TikTok SEO in our TikTok SEO guide

Product consideration

Easy to find and easy to buy. Product lists, shopping, reviews, ecom optimisations are key here.

How do I increase my share of SERP and own more of the Google real estate?

What we can see here is, to increase your share of SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and dominate more "Google real estate," you need a multi-channel/holistic search approach. That means not just considering your onsite SEO efforts, but offsite also. A lot of these features pull in products, reviews, brand mentions from all over the web including TikTok, News, YouTube and review sites.

That means traditional pillars of SEO are still crucial, but offsite authority and trust signals are more crucial than ever before. Links are still needed to drove website rankings through authority, but in order for this to work, Google sees this as one part of off-site trust signals. Its more and more important to get relevant links, which get seen, shared and engaged with,

We found that 60% of searches and content in the SERP is now from offpage sources therefore if you aren't considering offpage within your SEO strategy you could be missing out on 60% of the search opportunity.

Off-page SEO strategy includes:

• Social search optimisation
• Content creation and distribution to YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Meta and more
• Media articles and content placements
• Reviews and blogger content
• Retail partner optimisations/aggregators

Social SEO/TikTok SEO case studies:

Here's an example of how we improved rankings on TikTok for a UK Travel brand which drove an increase in clicks, traffic and revenue (organic)

Read more here

These videos are also being pulled into the google SERP dominating the Short Videos feature.

We have our own content creation team who are content 100s of content every day for clients optimised for search and we also have a dedicated creator/influencer team sourcing the best external creators/influencers who are also briefed to creating highly engaged and optimised content for local search

Read more about TikTok SEO in our guide here

We've also got examples where we've dominated the top stories, increased share of media, featured no.1 in AI overviews, increased share of SERP and more

Get in touch with us to see examples and find out how we can help you