How to analyze SERPs for blog content

In the past, Google search results were a simple list of ten blue links. That landscape has changed. In 2026, search engine results pages (SERPs) are a complex mix of AI summaries, Q&A boxes, video carousels, and Reddit threads.

This makes getting your blog seen more challenging. Picking a keyword and writing a solid post is no longer sufficient. Gartner predicts that search volume will drop by 25% by 2026 because AI answer engines are changing user behavior. If you want to remain competitive, you have to be more strategic.

That's what this guide is about. We'll go through a step-by-step process for analyzing SERPs, from understanding Google's AI to identifying opportunities in competitor content. While it may sound like a lot, AI tools can help with much of the process, turning your analysis into a ready-to-publish post quickly.

What is SERP analysis and why does it matter?

SERP analysis is the process of looking at a search results page to understand what is happening behind the scenes. You're not just looking at a list of links; you're trying to understand why those specific pages are ranking, what Google thinks people are looking for, and which content formats are getting the most attention.

Think of it as an analytical process for your content strategy. It is important because it helps you:

• Understand search intent: You get a clear picture of what people want when they search for something, not just what you assume they want.
• Choose the right content format: The SERP itself will signal whether you should create a listicle, a how-to guide, a video, or something else. Google favors different formats for different queries.
• Find an opening: By seeing what your competitors are doing, and what they are not, you can find gaps and create something with more value.

At its core, a good SERP analysis is the foundation of any content that has an opportunity to rank. It’s how you move from guesswork to creating content that both users and search engines value.

Understanding the modern SERP layout

To analyze a SERP correctly, you have to know what you're looking at. Google no longer serves a simple list of links. It uses a variety of "surfaces" to get answers to users as fast as possible. Let's look at the main ones you'll encounter.

AI Overviews

Right at the top of many search results, you'll find Google's AI Overviews. These are AI-generated paragraphs that aim to answer your question directly on the results page, pulling information from several top-ranking pages. According to Semrush, they're a key SERP feature that can appear for almost any type of search.

This is a significant shift because it's the first thing people see. The goal is no longer just to rank on page one, but to have your content cited in these AI summaries. This has created a new field called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), which is all about making your content so clear and authoritative that AI models use it as a source.

People Also Ask (PAA) and featured snippets

These are common features. "People Also Ask" boxes are dropdown menus of related questions, and featured snippets are the boxes that pull a direct answer from a webpage. Both are valuable positions on the SERP.

Seeing these is a strong signal from Google that users are looking for fast, specific answers. If you can structure your content to provide those answers clearly, you have a good chance at capturing these spots.

Discussions and forums (Reddit & Quora)

Google has been featuring content from platforms like Reddit and Quora more frequently. This is because it knows that people trust authentic, real-world answers from other humans.

I combine GSC for a free baseline, SEMrush or Ahrefs for competitor SERP data and Nightwatch for location/device-specific tracking. I also track high-engagement Reddit threads if they can rank in Google just like blog posts.

Reddit

If you spot a "Discussions and forums" block on the SERP, it’s a sign that users are looking for personal experiences, opinions, and advice that has been vetted by a community. This is a good opportunity to add that same flavor to your own content with real quotes, different perspectives, and social proof.

Visual results: Image packs and video carousels

For many searches, particularly "how-to" questions or product topics, Google often features visual content. You'll often see a block of images or a scrollable carousel of YouTube videos near the top of the page.

This is a clear indication that text-only content may not be sufficient. If the SERP is packed with visuals, you need to think about creating your own images, infographics, or videos to compete effectively.

A step-by-step guide to SERP analysis

Here is a practical approach to breaking down a SERP and finding actionable ideas for your content.

Step 1: Assess the opportunity

Before you analyze the details, you need to decide if a keyword is worth your effort. There's no point in spending weeks on a perfect blog post for a keyword that's impossible to rank for or gets no traffic.

SEO tools like Ahrefs offer a couple of metrics to quickly assess the situation:

• Keyword Difficulty (KD): This score (usually on a scale of 1-100) tells you how hard it will be to rank on the first page. Lower is better.
• Traffic Potential (TP): This estimates the total monthly search traffic the #1 ranking page receives from all its keywords, not just your target one.

As Ahrefs' own guide points out, the ideal keyword has a manageable KD and a high enough TP to justify the work. It’s all about balancing effort with potential reward.

Step 2: Identify search intent and content formats

This is a critical step. You have to figure out the "why" behind the search. Is the person looking for information, trying to find a specific website, or ready to make a purchase? The content already on page one provides valuable clues.

Look at the top-ranking results and ask yourself:

• What type of content are these? Are they mostly listicles ("Top 10..."), detailed guides, product reviews, or something else?
• Is video a major player? Are there a bunch of YouTube results?
• How are the top articles structured? Do they use lots of headings, bullet points, and images?

Your goal is to match the dominant format and intent. If the entire first page is full of "Best of" listicles, writing a deep historical analysis is unlikely to rank well. Give Google what it's already telling you it wants.

Step 3: Evaluate competitor authority

Your competitors on the SERP aren't just your direct business rivals; they are any website ranking for your target keyword. You need to gauge how strong they are to see if you can realistically compete with them.

Ahrefs and SEMrush are both solid if you're looking for deep insights—historical data, competitor tracking, and location/device breakdowns. For a more budget-friendly option, SERanking or Ubersuggest can do a decent job too. If you're doing client work or serious SEO, I'd lean toward Ahrefs.

Reddit

Here are a few metrics to look at:

• Domain Authority (DA): A score from Moz that predicts a website's ranking potential. A higher score means a stronger site.
• Domain Rating (DR): A similar metric from Ahrefs that focuses on the strength of a site's backlink profile.
• Referring Domains: The number of unique websites linking to a specific page. More quality links usually translate to a stronger page.

You're looking for opportunities. Is there a page from a site with a low DA or DR on the first page? That's a positive sign. It means the SERP isn't completely dominated by high-authority sites, and you have a chance to rank with high-quality content.

Step 4: Look for content gaps and opportunities

Now it's time to identify a unique angle. The goal is to create content that provides more value than what is currently ranking.

Look for specific opportunities, such as:

• Unanswered questions: Dive into the "People Also Ask" box. Are there any questions that the top articles don't answer well? Make sure you cover those in detail.
• Outdated information: Is the top-ranking post from three years ago with outdated statistics? You can come in with a fresh, updated piece.
• Lack of depth: Maybe the existing articles are lacking depth. Can you add unique data, expert quotes, or personal experiences to go deeper?
• Missing SERP features: If there's no video carousel but the topic is perfect for video, creating one could be a way to improve your ranking. The same applies to custom images or infographics if the SERP is visually sparse.

Tools for SERP analysis

Doing all of this by hand can be time-consuming. Fortunately, several tools can speed things up and give you better insights.

eesel AI blog writer: From analysis to finished post

Once you've done your analysis and have a plan, the eesel AI blog writer can assist with writing the content. It’s designed to turn the findings from your SERP analysis into a complete article that’s ready to rank.

Here’s how it helps with the things we've discussed:

• AEO-Optimized Content: It produces content with clear headings and direct answers, structured in a way that’s easy for Google's AI Overviews to pick up.
• Automatic Asset Generation: eesel automatically creates infographics, tables, and images, so you can compete on visually-driven SERPs without hiring a designer.
• Social Proof Integration: It can pull relevant quotes from Reddit and embed YouTube videos right into your post. This is a significant advantage for SERPs where Google is favoring user-generated content.

This is the same tool we used at eesel to grow our daily impressions from 700 to 750,000 in just three months by publishing over 1,000 optimized blogs. It’s free to try, so you can see how it turns a keyword into a SERP-optimized article in just a few minutes.

Tools for manual analysis

While eesel handles the writing, a few other tools are useful for the initial analysis.

Creating a content brief from your analysis

After you've gathered all this information, the final step is to organize it into a solid content brief. This is your roadmap for creating the article.

A good brief should include your target keyword, the search intent you've identified, the ideal content format (e.g., listicle with at least 10 items), a list of key subheadings to cover (pulled from your PAA and competitor research), and a note on which competitors you aim to rank alongside or above.

This methodical process makes sure that every piece of content you create has a clear purpose and a much better chance of ranking. It's the difference between publishing content and hoping it ranks, and launching it with precision. This is also the kind of strategic input that the eesel AI blog writer uses to generate a complete draft for you.

To see these steps in action, this video provides a practical framework for performing a SERP analysis to qualify keyword opportunities and improve your rankings.

A video explaining a 5-step framework for how to analyze SERPs for blog content and qualify keyword opportunities.

Turning analysis into action

Ranking in 2026 requires a thorough understanding of the SERP. Success is less about keyword density and more about analyzing a dynamic, AI-powered results page and creating content that matches search intent.

The process is straightforward: check the opportunity, identify the search intent and format, analyze your competitors, and find the gaps you can fill. By following these steps, you’ll be creating content that’s not just well-written, but strategically built to climb the rankings.

Try the eesel AI blog writer for free and turn your keyword into a publish-ready, SERP-optimized blog post today.