Getting to the top of Google`s search results is a constant battle! But just because it is hard doesn’t mean you can`t win it. Even if you may not reach the position 1, you can still outrank it.
But how? Is it possible at all?
Yes, you can. Here is where a featured snippet comes into the picture.
In this article, we can learn what are featured snippets, their types, benefits and how to optimize your content for them.
What is a featured Snippet?
A featured snippet is a piece of content at the top of Google`s Search Engine Results Pages that provide a direct response to the user`s query from one of the top-ranking pages. It can appear in the form of a paragraph, a bulleted list, table, or video.
Featured snippets are constantly improved to make people`s search easier and provide them with the answer they are looking for at a glance.
Types of Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are classified into-
- Paragraphs
- Bulleted/Numbered Lists
- Tables
- Videos
Depending on your search query, Google can select any piece of the content from the top-ranking web pages and display as a featured snippet.
Paragraph Snippets-
Paragraphs are the most common kind of snippets that appear in te search engine result pages.
It usually consists of a short piece of text that provide answers to queries starting with What, When, How, Who and Why.
Paragraph Snippets are usually 40- 60 words long on an average.
Bulleted / Numbered Snippets
These snippets are answers presented in bullets or numbers. They are displayed for how or what queries that need step by step instructions or as a list of items.
Bulleted Snippets can be displayed as-
- Ordered Lists
- Unordered Lists
Table Snippets-
Table snippets provide answer to the query in the form of a table. It has rows or columns that displays values such as prices, rates, years or other data.
Video Snippets-
In some cases, Google may also display a video snippet from Youtube based on the user`s query. Video snippets may occur for search queries starting with ‘’How to’’ where the title of the video matches the search query.
Why are featured snippets important in SEO?
- They help boost rankings.
- Increase in CTR
- Enhanced brand awareness
- They are optimized for voice search
How to optimize for featured snippets?
To be precise- it`s complicated
Firstly, you cannot tell Google to use your content as a featured snippet. It is upto the search engines to check which pages are eligible for the featured snippets.
Secondly, featured snippets tend to change dynamically disappear and appear over time based on algorithms.
However, there are some things that you can do to increase the chances that your content will be used for the featured snippets.
- Optimize your content for long-tail and question like keywords
Long tail keywords or question like queries usually trigger featured snippets in their search engine result pages. By optimizing your pages around those long tail keywords and questions, the search engine can use them as potential answers and display them as featured snippets for those search queries.
- Improve your search rankings
In order to win a featured snippet, you need to appear in the top 10 search results for that particular query. There are many ways you can optimize your content and improve your search rankings. Some of them are-
- Check for SEO problems and fix any penalties
- Make your website easy to navigate
- Opt for internal linking and don’t forget to link to quality external sources
- Ensure that your website is fast and user-friendly
- If you use an HTTP Protocol, switch to SSL
- Ensure that you use user-friendly URL addresses
- Always optimize your images
- Make your page readable
- Use the inverted pyramid style
Always structure your content with the most awaited part and then proceed with the rest of the details.
- Format your content
Structuring your content properly is a vital step for featured snippet optimization.
- Ensure that you use trigger words
Some trigger words can generate featured snippets more than others
- Aim for an optimal word count
Usually featured snippets have a word count of up to 50 words. Your answers should be straight and up to the point. It should be no more than 58 words.
It is important to know which featured snippets your competitors rank for and then organizing your content based on the results with excellent subheadings and numeric names. Also make it a point to convey answers for multiple related questions in your content and ensure that you don’t use too many words in your paragraphs. You should have about 50 words for each header and note more than that. Also, use “how-to” phrases in the FAQ’s area of your website that can help provide optimized content for featured snippets. Remember that images and videos have high value, start using them generously! At Viral Mafia, the best digital marketing company in Kozhikode, we assist you in ranking your website in the top search results of Google with the use of effective SEO strategies. Visit www.theviralmafia.com and gain the expertise of our SEO agency in Kerala to avail the best SEO practices in town.
