Content in a featured snippet generates 12.5% more social\nshares. Also, according to HubSpot, a snippet can increase the flow of\ntraffic to a website by 200%. Interestingly enough, this position can be a\nwebsite\u2019s key to making it beyond #1 when they are plateauing rank-wise. By\noptimizing your website and content to target strategic queries, you can gain a\nspot above #1.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/images.pexels.com\/photos\/67112\/pexels-photo-67112.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=750&w=1260\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe Anatomy of a Featured Snippet<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFeatured snippets are among the added “quick” features that Google is placing before organic search results. They join the ranks of paid ads<\/a>, \u201cpeople often ask\u201d boxes and instant answers that users see first before scrolling down.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOverall, a featured snippet is an automated sample answer\nthat Google produces at the top of search results. They aren\u2019t to be confused\nwith \u201cinstant answers,\u201d which address quick questions like \u201cdistance from the\nEarth to the Sun\u201d or \u201cnumber of planets.” These come from Google\u2019s\nKnowledge Graph and are not credited to any website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Featured snippets relate to a keyword and are connected to a\nwebsite that Google deems to be the most authoritative on the topic. There are\nthe four main components of a snippet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Page Title: The best performing snippets have\nconcise titles that contain the keywords in question.<\/li>
- Content: It can be a short paragraph, numbered\nor bulleted list, table, or YouTube video that answers the question. The user\ncan see this content without having to enter the website.<\/li>
- Page\u2019s URL: This information is hyperlinked at\nthe bottom of the snippet so you can visit the site.<\/li>
- Image Search Results: If relevant, images\nrelated to the keyword will also populate to give users a visual context for\nthe query.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
There may also be suggestions for more narrow searches\nunderneath the content. Below the content are term \u201cbuttons\u201d that users can\nclick on to add a different word to the search and jump to another snippet. For\nexample, if one put in \u201ccost of homeownership,\u201d Google can add buttons with\nwords like \u201chidden\u201d or \u201cupfront,\u201d which narrow down the scope of the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making a Featured Snippet\nStrategy<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFirst and foremost, check to see if your target keywords\neven have a snippet opportunity. You may not have one yet, which is okay, but\nyou can gently set yourself up for claiming the title when Google gets around\nto it. Every person\u2019s journey to the featured snippet slot will look different.\nThe best way to start is to enter your keyword and see what Google generates.\nIs there a snippet featured, or is it just a list of websites? To save time,\nyou can also use the Keyword Tool\nfrom Woorank<\/a> to see which keywords have featured snippets.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA good way to start making an SEO strategy that involves\nsnippets is to consult a professional SEO agency. You can also do some\ngroundwork on your own and use tools that are available online like this Featured Snippets Tool<\/a>\nto find keywords that are related to your industry. Your road to having content\nposted in this high position will depend on your industry and level of\ncompetition for your keywords. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn this complex journey to the top of the ranks, here are\nsome general best practices that other SEO authorities have observed about\nfeatured snippets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Make your website secure: 70% of websites in\nsnippets use https instead of http (Ahrefs).<\/li>
- Simplify your long-tail keywords: If you want to\nclaim \u201chow to fly a kite,\u201d but your content is too wordy, then shave down your\ntitle to the bare minimum so that Google can easily see what your content is\nabout.<\/li>
- Be Descriptive: Be clear about what kind of\ninformation you\u2019re providing. Context is helpful to both web crawlers and users\nto identify the nature of your content. <\/li>
- Target Simple Questions: While comparison\nquestions only make up 23% of featured snippets. The majority of snippets\nanswer direct questions associated with \u201cwho, what, where, when, and why.\u201d<\/li>
- Cater to the Trends: Model what\u2019s working. For\nexample, 52% of \u201chow\u201d keywords result in list format snippets that max at 8\nitems (Ahrefs). Recipes are also prime candidates to become featured, and so\nare keywords like \u201cbest.\u201d<\/li>
- Optimize Your Content: Feature strategic\nkeywords that have snippets associated with them, or set yourself up for\npotential openings for your keyword in the future.
- Put the question in headers, not just in the\nbody of the content. For the best results, position the question as the H1 header.<\/li><\/ol>
- For paragraph snippets, put the desired content\nright under the H1 header. Note that the average length of a paragraph form\nsnippet is 272 characters. Answer the main question simply and right away.<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Appearing in featured snippets doesn\u2019t just get you around\n9% more of clicks, but shows you have been chosen by Google to be the\n\u201cabsolute\u201d and most authoritative answer to the question. This is a place of\nhonor and it develops more trust toward your brand. You get higher traffic,\nmore business, and more social media shares. In the digital age, this is the\nkey to higher growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You Don\u2019t Have to Start From\nScratch!<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile earning a featured snippet is hard work, you may not\nhave to start from zero. Do a content audit to see what you already have. Use\ntools like a competitor\nkeyword<\/a> finder to see what keywords your content is already\ngeared towards. Also, using a tool like Google Search Console<\/a>\naccount, you can find keywords you currently rank for. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe clearer and more authoritative you are about answering\nyour strategic question phrase, the better chance you have of taking the spot.\nGoogle your desired keywords and see what comes up. What do the top 10 results\noffer? If a snippet exists for your question, optimize your content to offer\nsomething unique or better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if you want to optimize for \u201cwrite an essay,\u201d\nyou can start targeting keywords in your header like \u201chow to write an essay.\u201d\nThink about how the information would be best organized. Would a list format,\ntable, or a paragraph work the best? Well-written content that is logical to\nfollow will be recognized by Google. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write for humans, and the semantic search algorithms will\nreward you. Imagine yourself as the recipient of this information. You only\nhave 5-10 seconds to scan the page to see if your question was answered. Does\nyour potential snippet nail the question?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tailor your content around the current landscape of the\nfeatured snippet. What are you up against? How can you innovate on the current\nsnippet and make it better? Can you rework some existing content to answer the\nquestion concisely? Or, do you need to aim for a less competitive\nkeyword? This process is incredibly involved, but there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s\ncertain: without content, claiming the featured snippet position is\nimpossible. <\/p>\n\n\n
Overall, a featured snippet is an automated sample answer\nthat Google produces at the top of search results. They aren\u2019t to be confused\nwith \u201cinstant answers,\u201d which address quick questions like \u201cdistance from the\nEarth to the Sun\u201d or \u201cnumber of planets.” These come from Google\u2019s\nKnowledge Graph and are not credited to any website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Featured snippets relate to a keyword and are connected to a\nwebsite that Google deems to be the most authoritative on the topic. There are\nthe four main components of a snippet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Page Title: The best performing snippets have\nconcise titles that contain the keywords in question.<\/li>
- Content: It can be a short paragraph, numbered\nor bulleted list, table, or YouTube video that answers the question. The user\ncan see this content without having to enter the website.<\/li>
- Page\u2019s URL: This information is hyperlinked at\nthe bottom of the snippet so you can visit the site.<\/li>
- Image Search Results: If relevant, images\nrelated to the keyword will also populate to give users a visual context for\nthe query.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
There may also be suggestions for more narrow searches\nunderneath the content. Below the content are term \u201cbuttons\u201d that users can\nclick on to add a different word to the search and jump to another snippet. For\nexample, if one put in \u201ccost of homeownership,\u201d Google can add buttons with\nwords like \u201chidden\u201d or \u201cupfront,\u201d which narrow down the scope of the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making a Featured Snippet\nStrategy<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
First and foremost, check to see if your target keywords\neven have a snippet opportunity. You may not have one yet, which is okay, but\nyou can gently set yourself up for claiming the title when Google gets around\nto it. Every person\u2019s journey to the featured snippet slot will look different.\nThe best way to start is to enter your keyword and see what Google generates.\nIs there a snippet featured, or is it just a list of websites? To save time,\nyou can also use the Keyword Tool\nfrom Woorank<\/a> to see which keywords have featured snippets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A good way to start making an SEO strategy that involves\nsnippets is to consult a professional SEO agency. You can also do some\ngroundwork on your own and use tools that are available online like this Featured Snippets Tool<\/a>\nto find keywords that are related to your industry. Your road to having content\nposted in this high position will depend on your industry and level of\ncompetition for your keywords. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this complex journey to the top of the ranks, here are\nsome general best practices that other SEO authorities have observed about\nfeatured snippets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Make your website secure: 70% of websites in\nsnippets use https instead of http (Ahrefs).<\/li>
- Simplify your long-tail keywords: If you want to\nclaim \u201chow to fly a kite,\u201d but your content is too wordy, then shave down your\ntitle to the bare minimum so that Google can easily see what your content is\nabout.<\/li>
- Be Descriptive: Be clear about what kind of\ninformation you\u2019re providing. Context is helpful to both web crawlers and users\nto identify the nature of your content. <\/li>
- Target Simple Questions: While comparison\nquestions only make up 23% of featured snippets. The majority of snippets\nanswer direct questions associated with \u201cwho, what, where, when, and why.\u201d<\/li>
- Cater to the Trends: Model what\u2019s working. For\nexample, 52% of \u201chow\u201d keywords result in list format snippets that max at 8\nitems (Ahrefs). Recipes are also prime candidates to become featured, and so\nare keywords like \u201cbest.\u201d<\/li>
- Optimize Your Content: Feature strategic\nkeywords that have snippets associated with them, or set yourself up for\npotential openings for your keyword in the future.
- Put the question in headers, not just in the\nbody of the content. For the best results, position the question as the H1 header.<\/li><\/ol>
- For paragraph snippets, put the desired content\nright under the H1 header. Note that the average length of a paragraph form\nsnippet is 272 characters. Answer the main question simply and right away.<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Appearing in featured snippets doesn\u2019t just get you around\n9% more of clicks, but shows you have been chosen by Google to be the\n\u201cabsolute\u201d and most authoritative answer to the question. This is a place of\nhonor and it develops more trust toward your brand. You get higher traffic,\nmore business, and more social media shares. In the digital age, this is the\nkey to higher growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You Don\u2019t Have to Start From\nScratch!<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While earning a featured snippet is hard work, you may not\nhave to start from zero. Do a content audit to see what you already have. Use\ntools like a competitor\nkeyword<\/a> finder to see what keywords your content is already\ngeared towards. Also, using a tool like Google Search Console<\/a>\naccount, you can find keywords you currently rank for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The clearer and more authoritative you are about answering\nyour strategic question phrase, the better chance you have of taking the spot.\nGoogle your desired keywords and see what comes up. What do the top 10 results\noffer? If a snippet exists for your question, optimize your content to offer\nsomething unique or better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if you want to optimize for \u201cwrite an essay,\u201d\nyou can start targeting keywords in your header like \u201chow to write an essay.\u201d\nThink about how the information would be best organized. Would a list format,\ntable, or a paragraph work the best? Well-written content that is logical to\nfollow will be recognized by Google. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write for humans, and the semantic search algorithms will\nreward you. Imagine yourself as the recipient of this information. You only\nhave 5-10 seconds to scan the page to see if your question was answered. Does\nyour potential snippet nail the question?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tailor your content around the current landscape of the\nfeatured snippet. What are you up against? How can you innovate on the current\nsnippet and make it better? Can you rework some existing content to answer the\nquestion concisely? Or, do you need to aim for a less competitive\nkeyword? This process is incredibly involved, but there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s\ncertain: without content, claiming the featured snippet position is\nimpossible. <\/p>\n\n\n
- For paragraph snippets, put the desired content\nright under the H1 header. Note that the average length of a paragraph form\nsnippet is 272 characters. Answer the main question simply and right away.<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Put the question in headers, not just in the\nbody of the content. For the best results, position the question as the H1 header.<\/li><\/ol>
![\"Group](\"https:\/\/images.pexels.com\/photos\/1595385\/pexels-photo-1595385.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=750&w=1260\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n