Featured snippets appear above organic results on Google. They are chosen as the best answer to a query. But when it comes to ranking on Google, most businesses have one thing on their mind: getting to the lucrative #1 ranking position. Or, at the very least, getting onto page one! The featured snippet spot above position #1, however, is what your customers see first. And if they’re seeing it first, they’ll be clicking it first.
Here, we look at Google’s featured snippet position, or as it is often referred to, position #0, how it helps your brand, and how to get it.
WHAT IS IT?
A featured snippet serves to answer a question at a glance. There are three types of featured snippet styles: paragraph, list, and table.
According to Search Engine Land, the paragraph type is the most common featured snippet. This is usually a simple answer to a question, followed by a more detailed explanation.
A list featured snippet is, well, a list! This can be instructions, a process, or a recipe. The table type featured snippet revolved around presenting data.
Position #0 can change rapidly too. Just because you achieve the featured snippet position doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels — it can and will update if a better answer presents itself!
BENEFITS
The benefits of a featured snippet are slightly different to gaining rank #1 or page one status. A featured snippet is highlighting the content of your page, rather than link metrics, for one. While you might not be on page one in terms of a strong backlink profile, you could still achieve featured snippet status if your content is relevant and optimised well.
This leads to the benefits of achieving position #0, especially if you’re not on page one! Featured snippets display the URL of the page they have drawn the content from. This not only has the potential to boost click through rates, but also increase brand awareness. By being picked out as the best answer to a query, your brand is being presented to the user as an expert.
HOW TO GET IT?
So, how do you get to position #0? Firstly, ask yourself whether your industry is likely to require answers to frequently asked questions, or for terminology to be clarified. If so, then there’s certainly scope to show up as a featured snippet!
With a little keyword research, you can find out the questions and queries your customers have. You can see if there’s a featured snippet for it and, more importantly, whether your competitors are already in that spot. If you have a page on your website that could answer that question, take a look and see if the content can be rewritten. Could it be more concise? More accurate? Better optimised? With a simple rewrite, your page could be better positioned for a featured snippet.
This article is sourced from Mediaworks, one of the speakers at our Go Digital Live! Event.