Featured Snippets: What are they and how to get them?
Today, the reality is harsh, with results pages getting ever more competitive. Trying to be seen among the search engines is vital to most businesses that seek to increase their online visibility.
One of those opportunities that Google has provided in this regard is the Featured Snippet position. Featured Snippets are often one of the power houses of SEO, as they are the most prominently placed features at the top most part of the search results, followed by the usual organic listings. Well, this article discusses what featured snippets are, why they matter, and, most importantly, how to optimize your content for value in capturing that precious position.
What Are Featured Snippets?
A featured snippet is a boxed result that sits at the very top of Google's search results above the usual organic listings. It offers a quick and concise answer to a user's question. These can be in a variety of formats, like text, lists, tables, or even videos. A featured snippet aims to provide a direct answer to the user's query on the SERP, so the user does not need to click through to a website to find that information.
Google pulls these snippets from already existing web pages and renders them in a highlighted box to help users find answers quickly. For instance, when a user is searching "How to do SEO for my website," Google can show a featured snippet with a quick answer, such as a step-by-step list or paragraph explaining the process.
Types of Featured Snippets
Featured snippets can come in several forms, depending on the nature of the question. The following are the most common forms:
Paragraph Snippets: These are displayed as a short paragraph that answers the user's query. In most cases, they originate from an article that explains something in-depth.
List Snippets: These are lists in the format of number or bullet forms. The most common presentation for list snippets is when someone asks "How to." or "What's step by step.".
Table Snippets: These are snippets representing tables, primarily presented when someone needs to look up comparison facts (such as "best SEO tools comparison").
Video Snippets: Google sometimes pulls videos from YouTube or other platforms and showcases it as a featured snippet if the user's query includes a process or tutorial.
Why Featured Snippets Matter for SEO?
For any business which strives to increase its visibility on the web, having featured snippets can offer the following benefits:
More Visibility: Snippets are displayed at the top of the search results, which is called position zero. This gives your content more visibility than any organic listing, thus more traffic to your website.
Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): Even though the featured snippet answers the question on the SERP, many users click through to the website for more in-depth information. Websites that have featured snippets tend to enjoy higher click-through rates.
Brand Authority: Getting into a featured snippet puts your business in a position of authority in your niche. When Google selects your content to feature, it tells the user that your site is a source they can rely on for information, which makes the user trust and believe you.
This gives users quick and direct answers, which improves their search experience. If your website is the one providing that answer, you gain a competitive edge over others in your industry.
How to Get Featured Snippets: SEO Strategies to Rank in Position Zero
To get the highly coveted featured snippet position, you have to combine the right content, SEO strategies, and technical optimizations. Here is how you can increase the chances of being featured.
Identify Relevant Keywords and Questions
The first step towards optimizing for featured snippets involves identifying the right keywords and questions to target. Here, you can use the keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to determine queries related to your business. Pay attention to question-based queries such as "what is," "how to," "why," or "best way to." These are the types of searches likely to activate featured snippets. Let's say you're focusing on SEO related searches, but you can aim for things like "best SEO strategies for small businesses."
Your Content for Featured Snippets Needs to Be Structured
After that, you need to optimize your submission to answer queries for the target keywords. Featured snippets usually feature content from well-structured pages providing straightforward, short answers. Below are the ways in which you can structure your content:
Proper Use of Headings: Divide your content into clear sections with headings (H1, H2, etc.) clearly describing the topic. This facilitates the extraction of the relevant portion from your content using Google.
Answer the Question Upfront: Answer the query in the first few lines of your content if paragraph snippets are used; or use numbered or bulleted lists for succinctly stating steps involved for list snippets.
Be Brief and Crisp: Snippets are intended to give an answer that is short, so be brief and crisp. Google prefers content that provides value in a shorter format.
Optimize for Structured Data
Structured data informs search engines of the meaning of your content. Use schema markup (structured data) to provide more detail to the search engines to make it easier for them to pull your content into a featured snippet. Schema markup is not a direct ranking factor, but it might improve the likelihood of a featured snippet because it becomes easier for Google to interpret and organize your data.
Improving content quality
The primary aim of Google is to give the best possible answer to a user's query. Thus, content of good quality is a must. Ensure your content is comprehensive, accurate, and well-researched while writing it. You must also focus on content that answers user intent. For instance, if your website offers the best SEO services in the UK, you can write an article titled "What are the top SEO strategies for small businesses in the UK?" providing an in-depth answer.
Utilize FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions are excellent to be targeted as featured snippets, particularly if it's list or paragraph snippets. Develop a dedicated FAQ page on your website that addresses common questions people ask about you. If you are an established SEO firm in the UK, for instance, you may build FAQs related to issues like "What are the advantages of SEO for small businesses?" or "How do I improve my business rank through local SEO?"
Monitor and Update Content Regularly
After getting a featured snippet position, it is also very important to monitor the performance of your content and update it from time to time. Google constantly refines its algorithms, and user preferences may shift over time. So, in order to keep up with the featured snippet position, you need to keep your content fresh and relevant.
Blossom Web Studio: Expertise in SEO Services for Featured Snippets
Blossom Web Studio is a suitable choice if you need the best SEO services in the UK to get your website ranked and ensure the ranking by securing featured snippets. With 15 years of experience in the SEO industry, Blossom Web Studio is one of the best SEO companies in the UK. The company has increased the organic traffic for many businesses of all sizes and placed them on top rankings on search engines.
Their expertise in creating quality content, optimizing for featured snippets, and implementing cutting-edge SEO strategies ensures that your website ranks for the right keywords, including the highly competitive position zero.
Being the top SEO services provider of UK, Blossom Web Studio offers customized SEO solutions which are aligned with the specific goals of your business. This might be a small organization with an intention to increase their presence or a large enterprise planning to dominate the search pages; Blossom Web Studio ensures offering you the best SEO solution which will make you the victor.
Featured snippets are a fantastic opportunity for businesses to boost their online presence, create authority, and drive traffic. With quality content, proper page structure, and targeting the right questions and keywords, you can increase your chances of getting that position zero. With the help of a best SEO company in the UK like Blossom Web Studio, you can leverage their 15 years of expertise to not only secure featured snippets but also boost your overall SEO performance, driving more relevant traffic and growing your business.
