What are Featured Snippets? How to Optimize to Get Them
It is usually challenging to achieve a high position in the organic search results on Google.
When terrible things start to happen, you must not give up. You are going to be in the first position in the long run, even if you are not there right now.
If so, in what way? But in all honesty, is it even feasible?
If you utilize a featured snippet, you will have access to this functionality.
In this piece, we will go through the highlighted passages in greater detail, addressing their different types, the numerous benefits they offer, and how to utilize them.
So, let’s get started.
What is a featured snippet?
The featured snippet is an excerpt from one of the highest-ranking websites that shows at the top of Google’s search engine results page (SERP) and responds directly to the user’s search query.
Paragraphs, lists with bullet points and statistics, infographics, and videos are typical forms of communication utilized by people.
Since its introduction in 2014, featured snippets have undergone many iterations of revision in order to better aid users in locating the information that they require on the internet in the shortest amount of time feasible.
Types of featured snippet
Here are common types of featured snippet:
- Paragraphs
- Bulleted/numbered lists
- Tables
- Videos
In response to a user’s search query, Google may choose to highlight a particular snippet from one of the websites that has the highest ranking on the page that displays the results of the search.
Table snippet
Table highlighted snippets convey information from a website in the shape of a table in response to inquiries such as “What is a European shoe sizes table?”
Frequently, this layout is comprised of rows and columns that present numerical information such as gender, size, etc.
Video snippet
On occasion, Google may showcase a clip from a movie, often sourced from YouTube, and the clip will start playing at a predetermined moment in the film.
Video snippets have a greater chance of appearing in the search results for “How-to” inquiries when the title of the video is relevant to the search question.
Keep in mind that Google is always creating and testing new sorts and combinations of highlighted snippets for a variety of search queries. It’s possible that this will make customers’ experiences with Google Search better.
These excerpts stand out due to the fact that they incorporate content from a wide variety of sources and present it in distinctive ways (for example, featured snippets with photos, paragraphs, and even “People Also Ask” boxes).
Paragraph Snippet
On the page that contains the search engine results, paragraphs make up the vast bulk of the highlighted snippets.
There are simply a few lines of text that provide responses to questions such as “How?” “Who?” “Why on earth?” When and what are the questions.
The bulk of the time, these examples consist of anything from forty to sixty words.
Bulleted/numbered snippet
A “listicle” in this context is a numbered or bullet-pointed list of replies to a question.
In most cases, they are provided in answer to questions beginning with “How” or “What,” which need either an in-depth explanation or a rundown of the relevant points.
Let’s say we are looking for “How to get a girlfriend?”. The numbered snippet results are shown in the first page.
Featured Snippets: What’s the significance with the search?
Featured snippets do not boost search engine rankings. But It drives more traffic to pages that rank well.
Even in the worst-case scenario, buyers will locate the information they want in a highlighted section, and you will have grown your brand and become an expert in your sector.
Winning SEO snippets may enhance organic traffic for your significant keywords if the primary components of your on-page SEO are in place, such as crawlability for indexing, keyword research, and high-quality, search-optimized content.
According to a 2020 research, the highlighted snippet receives 35% of all clicks on search results.
How Google values the snippets feature
Google uses robots to index and rank the web. Google’s indexing and ranking algorithm considers whether a page on your site would be a good candidate for a featured snippet.
When Google discovers data that will help consumers quickly locate what they are looking for, it highlights significant information and displays it on search results pages. If your essay is well-written, clear, and authoritative, it may be picked for publication.
There are several strategies available to help Google detect the ideal page for snippet. We’ll explain them below.
Fundamentals of featured snippets
Before we get into the specifics of how to acquire a featured snippet on Google, we’d want to discuss three major concepts.
Listen to Google
Google will highlight one snippet at a time to assist you in optimizing your website for search results.
Here are some instances of paragraphs that should be modified. Focus on a portion of the target list using your own list.
If you don’t have a highlighted snippet, you can forget about making Google pleased with your keywords. A highlighted part may not appear in all search results. Learn how the featured snippets work here: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/appearance/featured-snippets.
Be concise
The greatest snippets will have previously structured the key information so that it may be answered fast and easily. Google’s search engine does not waste words. Don’t be afraid to emphasize the points of your content.
Feature snippets are usually 40 to 50 words long and have a character count of fewer than 300. Remember that the number of characters in the snippet is limited.
There are an endless number of possible list and table pieces. If Google needs to reduce your website’s material, it will notify you.
HTML Markup Google Guidelines
Google provides guidelines for creating webpages. There could be a better approach to emphasize snippets.
- Header Tags
- Strong Tags
- HTML Lists
- HTML Tables
Pay attention to those guidelines so that Google can easily evaluate your page for featured snippets.
Tips to earn featured snippets
You should be aware that you are not alone in your desire to fit in. Marketers all around the world are constantly seeking for fresh and inventive methods to emphasize their business through feature snippets attempt.
Let me now discuss some successful tactics you can do.
Keyword research
The guidelines for highlighted excerpts are the same as for normal website material.
You may understand what people in your field are truly seeking for by searching Google for queries connected to your specialty, which will help you better adapt your material to their demands. Real search terms may be used to inform both your entire marketing strategy and your content strategy.
People utilize keywords to find answers on the Internet. You may receive more traffic if your content assists our readers in finding you when they search. As a result, it’s critical to prioritize these types of queries.
Begin with some classic On-Page SEO by researching keywords. Please make the greatest use of the highlighted sections. For instance, Both Ahrefs and Serpstat provide search tools that display highlighted results.
Add lists and tables
Featured snippets are typically in the form of tables or lists. Including these elements in your article may increase the likelihood that people will notice it.
Your page will not stand out if it lacks a table. Then, kindly provide Google with all of the information it requires.
Questions in subheading
When queries are organized into subheadings, Google can identify highlighted excerpts more quickly.
Subheadings can be used to ask and answer the question you wish to attract attention to.
Conduct Good SEO practices
Even if your page is on a specific topic, Google will not select it as a featured snippet.
Obtaining a highlighted snippet is one technique to boost your search engine rankings. More than one-third (31.1% of all highlighted snippets) come from the first search result, followed by more than a quarter (23.5% of all highlighted snippets) from the second search result, and so on.
The lower you are on the SERP, the less likely you are to be in the highlighted snippet.
The reasoning behind this makes sense.
Google works extremely hard to provide useful results. The greatest on-page and off-page SEO techniques may propel your website to the first page of search engine results (SERPs). They contain fascinating, helpful, and worthwhile stuff.
The highlighted snippet should have decent SEO if it ranks higher than the first result.
- Use images, videos, and logical navigation to direct readers’ attention to the term or issue you wish to highlight while still providing them with the information they want.
- Have a lot of backlinks
- have a quick-loading page
This list is far from exhaustive, but it will provide you with a fair concept of what your website should include in order to rank highly in search engine results and featured snippets.
Pay attention to your Content Structure
Google prioritizes well-structured paragraphs, lists, and tables. Sort your data in a similar fashion. People should be able to swiftly access the information they require owing to the listings you’ve included in your publications.
You should utilize names and numbers to demonstrate your point. Include some tables and graphs.
Use headers
Including headers aids Google in understanding what your content is about. If Google understands your material, it will offer it a featured snippet.
Use headers and give succinct, direct replies. If you follow these procedures, Google should be able to figure out the solution without a featured snippet that is too long.
See your Competitors’ Snippets
Many experts have emphasized on how critical it is to research your competition. There’s nothing else to do. This is crucial, especially for places that will be highlighted. Find out what your rivals are stressing and where they are focusing it.
You should also check to see if Google displays the highlighted snippets for the keywords for which you currently rank. Once you have this information, you can use it to make adjustments to your content that will improve its performance. For additional information, continue reading.
Use images
At position 0 on a page, graphics are frequently utilized.
Your website must have a large number of photos in order to function as an image resource for the keywords you are attempting to rank for.
Add an image of a taco or a recipe card to your response to a question about a wonderful taco dish to make it stand out.
You may now utilize the bold part without fear.
Answer multiple questions
The more information you provide, the more probable it is that you will receive a paragraph example on a page.
When you receive a highlighted snippet, you are more likely to receive more snippets regarding relevant topics.
By answering as many questions as possible on your website, you may ensure that it appears in as many highlighted snippets as possible.
Use various sentences for the same question
More individuals may read your in-depth posts that address a lot of queries.
Google emphasis on long-form material that might be related to the fact that it is dealing with an increasing number of issues. Questions should be asked and answered in subheadings.
You can create some various phrases to focus on certain question. But make sure that your answers are easily accessible in your posts. Make your content denser and to the point.
Google prefers sites that are easy to access. This makes it easy to find the correct information.
Add How-to Sections in your page
If you believe that some users’ search queries will begin with “how to,” you should modify them.
The bulk of “how to” inquiries are fairly precise. Your message must respond to the query posed by the search engine.
When answering inquiries or solving issues, using “how to” language is a terrific approach to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about.
Do not underestimate the power of “how to”. When your post has given something valuable to your audience, you’ve won google also.