How to Win Featured Snippets: Proven Tactics for Success
The Featured snippet is still one of the SERPs’ most coveted pieces of real estate. They let your site jump to the top of search results quickly. This is true even if the “traditional rankings” would put your site at the bottom of the first page.
A featured snippet is a two—to three-sentence summary of text that appears at the top of Google. It directly answers a user’s query in the search results, and receiving one can result in more traffic for a given page.
In this blog, we will explain how to optimize your content for featured snippets and appear on top.
Types of Featured Snippets
Four main types of Featured Snippets appear most often in Google’s search results.
The Definition Box
This is a snippet of text designed to give searchers a direct, concise definition or description.
For example, when you search for “rich snippets,” a definition box appears at the top of the results. Google commonly uses definition boxes to answer “what is” queries.
The definitions that Google tends to use are short and sweet. According to a study, the average definition that appears in Featured Snippets is between 40-60 words long.
Bulleted/Numbered Snippet
Listicle-featured snippets are answers presented in numbered or bulleted lists.
They are typically displayed for “How” or “What” question queries that need to be answered in the form of step-by-step instructions or as a list of items.
Listicle featured snippets can be displayed either as:
- Ordered lists – they usually show the list of ranked items or a set of steps (e.g., for queries like “top 10 movies 2024” or “how to set up a new android phone”)
- Unordered lists – a list of items that don’t need to be ranked in any particular order (e.g., for queries like “Which are the friendliest dogs?”)
Table Snippet
The table featured snippet provides data. It is pulled from a certain page and shown as an answer in the form of a table. For example, it is used for queries like “What are trouser sizes?”
It usually consists of rows and columns that display values such as prices, rates, years, or other numerical data.
Video Snippet
In some cases, Google might also show a video snippet from YouTube. It will have a ready-to-play time stamp for a specific part of the video.
According to a study, video snippets usually occur for “How-to” search queries where the title of the video matches the typed search query.
How To Optimise For Featured Snippets?
There is no specific rule regarding which content will be featured in the Snippets. Also, there’s no tool that can tell you which keyword will help you rank in Position 0. Google chooses randomly.
However, there are some strategies you can employ to increase your chances to be in the Featured Snippets:
Use Google To Uncover Featured Snippet Opportunities
To identify snippet chances, one of the finest strategies is to consider your audience.
Snippets often appear for short and long search inquiries. What queries does your target audience pose?
Imagine yourself in the position of a novice marketer who is unfamiliar with abbreviations and common words.
The featured content for other search phrases you try might already be yours.
If not, look through suggestions found in the “People also ask” area.
These are inquiries about the search that you have already performed. Click the arrows on the right to expand the sentence, then review the answers.
The next step is to update or write new material. It should answer the main query and other questions that consumers may have.
When writing your article, be concise and to the point. If you can deliver the information users need quickly, you’ll be more likely to get the snippet.
Find Content Ideas To Answer The Public
Answers to inquiries about how, what, when, where, why, or who are more likely to bring up featured snippets.
Answer the Public is the best for learning about the kinds of questions people have about a specific subject.
Suppose you’d like to know more about handling crises.
Enter your inquiry to get a tonne of options for queries about the subject. Please take a couple of those queries and address them in your writing.
Remember to ensure the terms you want are search engine optimization-friendly. Do keyword research first.
Answer Multiple Questions
A page is more likely to appear in related search searches if it ranks for one featured snippet.
This is key. It starts a chain reaction. You can keep earning more and more tidbits.
Instead of trying to make dozens of articles snippet-ready, try updating a select few and going in-depth with the solution.
If the subject fits that structure, define keywords and investigate steps. Address as many of the “people also ask” questions as you can.
This produces a very useful piece of content that search engines and users will find appealing.
Stay Within The Optimal Word Count
Longer than a typical search result, featured snippets also try to respond to users’ queries as soon as feasible.
To make it easier for Google to feature your information, keep your section brief and to the point.
Instead of having your lists, paragraphs, and steps flow together, section them apart.
This is a typical length for a featured snippet, according to a study. The investigation revealed that 40–50 words are the most typical content length for highlighted excerpts.
Because of this, try to limit the length of each content part to at most 50 words or less than 40.
Use Headers
Headers are frequently used as a larger typeface to divide material into parts. They use HTML on the back end to inform Google of each heading’s significance.
Click “normal text” in Google Docs and select headers from the drop-down menu. Your title is in H1, your primary points are in H2s, your supporting points under H2s are in H3s, and so on.
Google will arrange the heading phrases in chronological order if you append “Step 1, Step 2” or “Rule 1, Rule 2” to each one if you capture a list snippet.
Add A "How-To" Section To Your Website
Including a how-to section on your website is another method of obtaining snippets. You stand a much better chance of getting the highly sought-after place. This is because many highlighted snippets contain in-depth information.
On their websites, some people have dedicated whole sections to answering queries from their audience.
Consumers can more easily find the information they need on your website. They need it to solve their problems. You can help by creating a section for it.
A frequently asked questions (FAQ) part could be a useful alternative to creating a “how-to” section. Just bear in mind to answer questions quickly and to keep the information brief.
Add High-Quality Images And Video
Adding pictures and images can help your ranking for featured snippets. Many people learn best through visuals. (Google uses more SERP real estate when it includes photos in highlighted snippets!)
Using an app like Canva makes it very easy to add graphics to each step. Their library has a vast collection of templates, icons, and stock photos, which you can use to quickly create professional graphics.
Better still, you can make videos using it.
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