As an SEO professional, it`s important to understand the history of search engine results page (SERP) contracting. This practice, which involves search engines outsourcing the display of certain types of content, was once commonplace. However, it has been largely phased out in recent years. In this article, we`ll explore when and why search engines stopped contracting out of SERPs.
What is SERP contracting?
Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! display a variety of content on their results pages. In addition to traditional organic search results, they may also show ads, images, videos, featured snippets, local results, and more. In the past, search engines would often contract with third-party providers to display some of this content.
For example, back in 2007, Google introduced Universal Search, which blended different types of results in a single SERP. This included content from Google-owned properties like YouTube and Google Maps, as well as content from other sites that Google contracted with. These contracted results might include news headlines, weather forecasts, stock prices, or even song lyrics.
Why did search engines contract out of SERPs?
There were several reasons why search engines used to contract out parts of their SERPs. For one thing, it allowed them to display more types of content without having to create it all themselves. This helped them keep users on their site longer and provided additional advertising opportunities.
Contracting out SERP content also allowed search engines to tap into the expertise of other companies. For example, a weather service might be better equipped to provide accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts than Google`s own in-house team.
Finally, search engines may have contracted out of SERPs simply because it was the norm at the time. As with any industry, search engines have evolved over the years, and what was once common practice may no longer make sense.
When did contracting out of SERPs stop?
While there`s no exact date when search engines stopped contracting out of SERPs altogether, it`s clear that the practice has declined significantly in recent years. For example, Google`s Universal Search no longer includes results from third-party providers. Instead, the company focuses on displaying results from its own properties, such as Google Maps, Google Images, and YouTube.
Bing and Yahoo! have also reduced their contracting of SERP content. For example, Bing`s Local Pack results used to be provided by a third-party company called Yelp. Today, Bing displays its own local results, which are drawn from a variety of sources.
Overall, it seems that search engines have moved away from contracting out of SERPs for a few reasons. For one thing, they`ve become more focused on providing a consistent user experience across all of their properties. Additionally, they likely want more control over the content that appears on their results pages.
In conclusion, while contracting out of SERPs used to be a common practice, it`s largely been phased out in recent years. SEO professionals should be aware of this change and focus on optimizing content for the types of results that search engines display directly on their SERPs.