How Google's "Universal Mixer" and Bing's "Darwin" creates the Blended Search Results via "The Whole Page Algorithm" to rank not only the 10 blue links, but the ranking methods for including "rich results" as well.

1. T h e W h o l e Pa g e
A l g o r i t h m
The Final Say in SERP Rankings.

2. W h a t i s t h e W h o l e Pa g e A l g o ?
• On Google’s July 29th Search Off the Record podcast, Gary Illyes explained how rich
elements get their place in the search results.
• This algorithm builds both the Google & Bing final “Product” to display the Blended
search results to users.
• Its main role is to “integrate all the rich elements into the foundation list of blue links”
• Google calls it, “Super Search Engine” (John Mu) or the “Universal Mixer” (Gary Iles)
Source: Jason Barnard -
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/darwinism-in-search-
revisited/415084/

3. • The algorithm is built purely to evaluate the “pros and cons” of each candidate set in the
context of the user query (aka relevance) and if they will add value to the SERP as the
ultimate deciding factor.
• Rich Features will be included if it helps to solve the intent of the search query using different
media sources.
• Search engines like Google/Bing have multiple algorithms that filter the “candidate sets” and
organize the content of the SERP’s before displaying it to the user.
• This is the final call, or decision to be or not to be included in the ranked results for the rich
featured set. (Even the 10 Blue Links!)
• The blue links are shrinking, fewer domains were getting that top real estate (Top 10).
(So here is our opportunity to rank in the blended search!)
W h y D o e s i t M a t t e r t o S E O ’s ?

4. • Candidate sets simply mean SERP features (or rich elements as I will
call them) that are bidding for a place on the final SERP as a possible
replacement to the 10 blue links.
• Those candidate sets / rich elements are (video boxes, image boxes,
recipes, knowledge graph, people also ask, rich snippets, etc.) and
can get a place on the SERP if they can bring more value to the user
than the incumbent blue links.
W h a t a re t h e C a n d i d a t e S e t s ?
Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/bing-whole-page-
algorithm/368850/

5. B l e n d e d o r U n i v e r s a l S e a rc h M o d e l
Source: https://www.seobythesea.com/2008/06/how-google-universal-
search-and-blended-results-may-work/

6. H o w a re t h e C a n d i d a t e S e t s S c o re d ?
• The blue links are the foundation upon which everything else is built
and the standard to which every candidate / rich element is
compared. (Standard Ranking Algo.)
• For any other rich element to take the place of a blue link, it has to
provide the user with a “Better” experience than the blue link and
“get the user to satisfaction more efficiently.” ~ think fast answers.
• Some winning candidates can be ignored (see Exclusion).
Source: https://youtu.be/L5kJFlMIHVU

7. O t h e r Fa c t o r s t o C o n s i d e r
• Once a rich element (i.e., video boxes, image boxes) gets its place on the
SERP
, the position it is shown in, is dependent on the probable usefulness to
the user.
• That is based on metrics for user satisfaction given the understood intent.
• Something like “Weather in Seattle” is unambiguous and the weather box
goes right at the top. That’s a no-brainer.
• But “Seattle” is ambiguous and could bring up weather, images, videos… and
that, according to Bing, is where the whole page team proves its worth.
• By segmenting historical data it benchmarks each candidate against the blue
links and positions the rich element according to the probability it will
outperform the blue link in a head-to-head.

8. R e a s o n s f o r C a n d i d a t e E x c l u s i o n
• They would not truly satisfy the user’s intent.
• Another rich element does the job better (perhaps a Q&A / featured
snippet would be culled in favor of a knowledge panel).
• The SERP is getting too crowded.
• The SERP is getting too long.
• It would damage the profitability of the SERP
.
• Ads get special treatment.

9. T h i n k M e t r i c s N o t R a n k i n g Fa c t o r s :
• SERP user behavior is a very, very important metric for the Whole
Page Algorithm..
• So, click-through rate doesn’t affect rankings in the ‘traditional’ sense,
but they are a very big part of how that whole page is organized.
• User behavior is fed back into the algorithm, which gives the machine
the corrective or reinforcement signals it needs to improve performance.
• Whole Page team has human judges (the equivalent of Google quality
raters) who give feedback about the quality and relevancy of a SERP – in
terms of the relevancy of the content, its quality and its position on the
page.
• Focusing on E-A-T for your website presence.
Source: https://cxl.com/blog/on-serp-seo/

10. H o w t o W i n E a c h S E R P S e c t i o n :
• Featured Snippets: Use the right On-page format for the Snippet: tables,
bullet-lists, Q&A, FAQ, Recipes, Listicles. (Add Schema and Images)
• Video Carousel: Relevant Video Title & Description. Youtube SEO: Subs,
Likes, Comments & Shares. Answer people’s pain points with a YouTube
video. Think Product-LED SEO.
• Related Entities: Claim your Knowledge Graph, Use @Graph Schema, get
listed in the Trusted Google sources for KG entry.
• Related Searches/Content: Optimize your content with semantic SEO,
entities and related keyword terms.
• Local Business: Ensure you are using Local SEO to enhance your GMB
listing, and local proximity, relevance & authority.
Source: https://cxl.com/blog/on-serp-seo/

11. A n y To o l s o r S e r v i c e s To H e l p w i t h
B l e n d e d S e a rc h O p p o r t u n i t i e s ?
Tool: https://ampifire.com/ Service: https://www.gstackrankers.com/product/local-surge-
and-super-stack-domination/

12. P re s e n t a t i o n
Chris Labbate ~ SEOBANK
THANK YOU