In literal terms- Manipulation can be defined as a forceful manual technique through which we can change the current state as per our requirement. SERP's manipulation comprises of two vital factors.

• SERPs Manipulation by SEO Companies
• SERPs Manipulation by Search Engine at their own end

Manipulation by Search Companies at their own End

• Search Tangles
• Internet search is big business. But the drive for profits by search firms and the sites they index is taking its toll on the results in your browser.
• Yahoo and Google, two of the most popular search engines have long dedicated portions of their results pages to commercial links, clearly labeled as "sponsored" and displayed in separate blocks.
  But the real goodwill of any search engine is "actual results"--the place where you expect to find answers to your queries. And it is here that some search companies and commercial Web sites are using new tactics, and putting new spins on old tricks, to affect search results. Most of these techniques are legitimate; others are deceptive and unethical.
  One has no doubt that Search results are being manipulated to a great extent. With Google about to become a publicly traded company, and with Microsoft preparing its own search service, search is a big business that is about to get even bigger. And the pursuit of profits--by search companies and by Web sites that depend on search engines to drive revenue-producing traffic--is affecting how your search queries are answered.
  
  Pay for Play
  Other search engine practice which has faced immense criticism in recent years is paid inclusion. Since the search engines can't index the entire Internet, some--namely Yahoo and Ask Jeeves--allow Web site owners to pay a small fee to guarantee to get indexed. However, both firms insist paid submissions don't affect search rankings.
  
  Google doesn''''t accept paid submissions. You can submit a site to Google for free, but there''''s no guarantee as to when or if the site will be added to Google''s index.
  
  Search engine companies bristle at the notion that their search results are tainted by money. A Yahoo representative said that Yahoo''s quality speaks for itself. "People wouldn''t return to Yahoo if they didn''t trust us," she said.
  
  Similar to Ask Jeeves, Yahoo displays a "What''s this?" link (just above the search results area) that goes to a disclaimer stating that about 1 out of every 100 sites in its index has paid to be included. But several other sites that use Yahoo''s search results--including Dogpile.com, Excite.com, and MSN--do not display such a disclaimer.
  
  MSN, however, plans to end its relationship with Yahoo and implement its own search technology. In the meantime, MSN and Ask Jeeves both say they plan to more clearly identify Yahoo-produced paid and commercial listings.
  
  Google Games
  Google, the Numero uno search engine is going through a tough phase because off so-called optimization firms that promise to boost rankings of customers'' Web sites. Their efforts can reduce the quality of Google''s search results.
  
  Some techniques are legitimate but some ratings-boosting techniques are controversial. A practice called cloaking occurs when a page appears one way to a search engine''s indexing technology but looks quite different to people who click on the link to it.
  
  Cloaking can have perfectly legitimate uses. One example: National Public Radio creates cloaked pages with rough transcripts of its radio programs. People who click on search engine links to these pages get to the archived audio files of the broadcasts and don''t see the transcripts. PC World similarly uses cloaking for articles in its database.
  
  What's in Store?
  Web searching is clearly evolving. Microsoft''s initiatives should heat up the competition (see "The Future of Search"), and new search tools are on the horizon. With any luck, the search engines that win this race will be the ones with the most relevant results.
  
  The next stage of search is focused on you and your desktop. According to MSN desktop search will be available long before Microsoft''s 2006 release of its next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, which is expected to include advanced search capabilities.
  
  Yahoo says it is considering similar desktop search technology, but declined to provide details. Google was in a quiet period leading up to its initial public offering; published reports, however, suggest it too is working on desktop search software.