HOW TO RANK FOR FEATURED SNIPPETS ON GOOGLE
A featured snippet is a block that appears at position zero—the very top of the search results list—after a user types in a search query. These featured snippets give a short answer to the question you type into the Google search bar. Because you’ve already received a snippet of what you’re looking for, you’re more likely to trust that website and will click through. According to Hubspot, content with a featured snippet gets 2X higher click-through rate.
If landing a featured snippet spot is your goal, make sure it’s for a topic you want to b known for.
Intentional use of page structure, using highly searched keywords, and targeting question-based queries are most important to get your website in the featured snippet spot. Don’t worry about how new or old your website is, write good copy, pay attention to page structure, and answer questions thoughtfully.
TYPES OF FEATURED SNIPPETS
PARAGRAPH SNIPPETS
LIST SNIPPETS
TABLE SNIPPETS
RICH ANSWER SNIPPETS
PEOPLE ALSO ASK SNIPPETS
QUICK TOOL, CAROUSEL, VIDEO, AND KNOWLEDGE CARD SNIPPETS
The knowledge card is placed on the right side of the SERP with all business information in one location. If you own a business it’s highly recommended to set this up in your Google My Business account.
WHY ARE FEATURED SNIPPETS SO IMPORTANT?
Highest Ranking Position in the SERPs
The snippet ranks in position zero—higher than position number one in the SERP listing—the highest-ranking placement you can get which means people are more likely to click on that link. People want fast results and they trust the top listings.
Voice Search is Becoming More Popular
Voice searches are becoming more and more popular. In contrast to typing a short-form keyword-rich search query into a search field, people are using long-form questions in a colloquial style when voice searching—keep this in mind when creating your content.
Voice searches are easier, which means more people are using that functionality more often. More search queries = more featured snippets.
- Use the following words in your questions: Which, What, Where, When, Why, How, Can, Are, and Will
- Google Search Console is a great resource for finding queries that are already bringing people to your website.
- Keep track of questions that your clients, team, friends, and family ask you. This will give you a well-rounded perspective on how people perceive and understand your products, services, and offerings.
- Even though longtail keywords are essential to optimize for voice search, continue to use short tail keywords and keyphrases as well.
When you can answer a specific query, Google will see you as the leader on this topic and reward you by showing your website first.
HOW TO CREATE FEATURED SNIPPETS
Provide a specific answer to a specific search query by targeting a niche audience.
This is going to require some research on your part. Use a keyword research tool such as Ubbersuggest or Google Keyword Planner. Utilize your Facebook Groups for a better understanding of the questions being asked around your particular niche. Send a survey to your current audience. Quora is an excellent resource as there are real people asking real questions.
Paragraph style answers should be between 54-58 words long—short and sweet.
Optimize blog posts and website pages.
Optimize existing blog posts and website pages that already show up in the top five results for a specific search query.
Update the content and make sure your headings and tags are set up properly.
Website pages and blog article titles are automatically assigned an H1 tag, therefore, subtitle tags follow consecutivelyy H2, H3, H4. If you’re on WordPress, click the lowercase (i) in the upper toolbar for information about your blog article and for assistance with the title tag hierarchy.
If you want your website to claim the paragraph snippet position in the SERP, then your H2 subtitle should include the entire search query or as many keywords from the search query as possible. The paragraph content should be right below the H2 subtitle and will be displayed in the snippet.
If you want a list to show up as a list snippet, set the H2 subtitle as the search query, and use the list tag to create your list (instead of using the paragraph tag) or use the H3 tag for each step in your list.
Create valuable, high-quality content that thoroughly answers a question.
Create valuable, high-quality content that your ideal client is looking for that thoroughly answers a question to build trust as the expert in your field.
Google keeps track of page views, how long users are on your site, and where they’re clicking.
When you take the time to write GOOD content, you’ll not only increase website traffic over time, but you’ll also retain your visitors for a longer period of time, thus increasing your site authority with Google. Share your knowledge, get rewarded—it’s a win-win for everyone.
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