How to Outrank the Competition With Google Featured Snippets
How to Outrank the Competition With Google Featured Snippets
What are Featured Snippets?
There’s no denying that Google is one of the major players when it comes to online searches. And if you want your website to be seen, you need to know how to use featured snippets.
Not sure what a featured snippet on Google is? A featured snippet is a box on the top of the search engine results page (SERP) that contains a summary of an answer to a user’s query.
Featured snippets are a great way to increase visibility and make sure your content is seen by potential customers. It’s essentially Google’s way of providing users with quick, direct answers to their questions.
Getting featured snippets on Google can feel like a game of chance. You can spend hours upon hours optimizing your content, but sometimes you just don’t get the results you had in mind.
But there are some tips and tricks that you can use to help increase your chances of getting Google-featured snippets. Here are fifteen commandments to get you started.
Table of Contents
Featured Snippets vs Rich Snippets
Featured Snippets and Rich Snippets are unique enhancements to search engine results pages (SERPs) that offer users extra details. Although they both serve to improve user experience, they have distinct functions and features. Here’s a comparison between the two:
Featured Snippets: These are specialized search results that occupy the prime spot on SERPs, commonly known as “position zero.” Their purpose is to provide a direct response to a user’s query by presenting a relevant extract from a webpage. Featured Snippets can be displayed in different formats, such as text paragraphs, lists, tables, or even video previews. They are intended to deliver a brief and straightforward answer to users without needing to visit the source website. However, users can click on the provided link if they wish to access more information from the original page.
Rich Snippets: These are upgraded search results that exhibit supplementary data about a webpage, thereby making them more informative and visually engaging. Rich Snippets are generated using structured data markup like schema.org, which assists search engines in comprehending the content of a page more effectively. Webmasters can enable Rich Snippets for their search results by incorporating this markup into their web pages.
Rich Snippets may display details such as ratings, feedback, costs, availability, visuals, and other relevant information. For instance, a recipe’s Rich Snippet could showcase an image of the meal, the time it takes to prepare, and user ratings. In the case of a product, the Rich Snippet might reveal its price, stock status, and customer reviews. The primary goal of Rich Snippets is to give users a better understanding of a webpage’s content, helping them determine its relevance to their search query before clicking the link.
In essence, Featured Snippets aim to offer a direct response to a user’s query by presenting a pertinent excerpt from a webpage, whereas Rich Snippets augment search results by displaying supplementary data about a webpage using structured data markup. Both types of snippets strive to enhance user experience and enable users to locate the information they need more effectively.
How To Optimize For Featured Snippets on Google
Research Keywords
Whether you’re trying to optimize for featured snippets or not, keyword research should be one of your top priorities when creating content. You want to make sure that you’re targeting keywords that will bring in traffic, rather than just generic phrases with no real purpose.
Target Relevant and Effective Keywords
Keyword stuffing should always be avoided (since it hurts SEO performance rather than helping), strategically including relevant keywords throughout posts can help improve the chances that those posts will show up in SERPs — which could mean an increased chance of getting a featured snippet too!
Aim for keywords and phrases that are specific enough to clearly explain the query but broad enough that they could apply to multiple topics or questions.
For example, if you wanted to optimize content about “how to make homemade pasta” you might use “homemade pasta recipe” as your main keyword phrase.
Be sure not too overdo this though; just two or three targeted keywords per post should do the trick! So take some time and do some research before diving into any content creation project. It will save you time in the long run!
Target Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are phrases containing three or more words; they often have lower competition levels than shorter keywords which makes them easier (and faster) to rank highly for in SERPs – like grabbing a featured snippet on google!
Plus, since they tend to have more specific meanings than shorter keywords, they usually convert better too! So don’t forget about long-tail keywords when optimizing for featured snippets on google!
Format Content Accordingly
Once you’ve done your keyword research, it’s time to start formatting your content so that it is optimized for featured snippets on Google.
Structure each piece of content so that it follows a logical format from start to finish; this will help guide readers through the material clearly and concisely while also helping them find the answers they’re looking for faster than ever before!
Additionally, utilize headings and subheadings within each piece of content; this will help draw attention to important points while making it easier for search engine algorithms to crawl through your website’s code more efficiently which can lead to better rankings over time!
Focus On Content Quality, Accuracy, and Relevance
The first step in getting a featured snippet on Google is making sure that your content is SEO-optimized and engaging.
This is essential for any type of SEO success. You cannot have inaccurate or irrelevant content on your website if you want people to find it in a Google search.
Google’s algorithms prioritize quality content when selecting which web pages should appear in its featured snippets section, so make sure your pages are written in an authoritative voice with accurate information from reputable sources.
You should also pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, etc., making sure there are no typos or mistakes that could hurt your chances of getting selected by Google’s algorithms.
Make sure that your content is well-written, comprehensive, and contains relevant keywords throughout the text. Content accuracy and relevance should always be at the forefront of any SEO strategy.
This will help to make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content, making it more likely that your page will show up in their search results.
Optimize Your Page Headings and Subheadings
Headings are an important part of organizing content, as well as helping readers quickly digest information without having to read through every single word from start to finish.
Google uses page headings and subheadings to identify what topics are covered on your page so it’s important that you optimize these elements.
Writing clear headings and sub-headings can help ensure that all relevant information is included in the snippet, making it easier for searchers to quickly get what they need from a glance at the SERP results page rather than clicking through multiple pages searching for their query answer.
Make sure that headings accurately describe what is contained within them and use keywords strategically throughout your page titles, as well as any H2-H6 tags.
Use H2 tags throughout your page structure as these indicate hierarchy within the page structure which can be beneficial when trying to gain visibility in featured snippets since they appear at the top of SERPs!
This will help search engine crawlers quickly understand what each webpage is about so they can more easily select it as a featured snippet source.
This can also be helpful when optimizing other types of web pages such as blog posts or product pages where headers may not always be necessary but still provide some visual appeal!
Use Bulleted or Numbered Lists and Tables Whenever Possible
Organizing content into bulleted or numbered lists makes it easier for readers to digest information while simultaneously signaling to search engines that this content should be considered for a featured snippet placement.
Studies have shown that lists tend to perform better in search engine rankings than other types of content, so including them whenever possible can be beneficial when trying to grab Google’s attention.
Lists and tables offer readers to quickly digest information without having to read through long paragraphs of text.
They also provide visual cues for those who prefer scanning over reading lengthy passages, making them more likely to click through after glancing at a table or list than if there were only long blocks of text present in a snippet or article body itself.
When writing any list items, focus on succinctness; make sure each sentence contains no more than 40 words, and avoid using long phrases or complicated words if possible because these can be difficult for readers (and search engines) to digest quickly.
Thou Shalt Answer Questions Directly
People often use Google search engines when they have questions that need to be answered quickly. Effectively answering common questions can help improve visibility, resulting in more clicks, views, and leads for your business or brand overall.
When creating content for your website, try to answer any questions that people may have about the topic at hand as clearly as possible. It is important that you answer questions directly and succinctly; this will help ensure that search engine crawlers pick up on the answer quickly and accurately.
Don’t beat around the bush – get right to the point and provide clear answers with supporting evidence whenever possible.
This will help ensure that people who are searching for information on a particular topic can find what they need quickly and easily, increasing the chances of them clicking through on your page and staying longer on your website once they land there.
Thou Shalt Use Schema Markup
Schema markup is a type of code used by search engine crawlers to better understand the context of web pages and improve their rankings within search results pages (SERPs).
If used correctly, schema markup can greatly improve the chances of getting a featured snippet on Google – so make sure to add it where appropriate!
Using this type of markup makes it easier for you to specify which parts of a page should be displayed as a featured snippet, making it more likely that you will be able to get one for your site if you follow all other guidelines correctly.
Include Relevant Images And Videos
Videos and images are great ways to draw readers’ attention while also helping them better understand complex topics or concepts more quickly than text alone can provide — plus they look great!
Not only do they keep readers engaged, but they also help increase the chances of getting a featured snippet on Google!
Search engine crawlers love images and videos because they provide additional context for them to process; plus, including images or video clips in your posts makes them more visually appealing which helps draw people in as well!
Incorporating relevant images into your posts can also help improve the chances that you will get a featured snippet from Google, as images often appear above organic listings in SERPs (search engine result pages).
Plus, this could mean more clicks throughs and more time spent on the site by visitors who come via those links!
When selecting images or videos for your webpage, make sure they are relevant to the topic discussed and include captions underneath them so users know what they are looking at without having to read through all of the text on the page first.
Additionally, make sure you optimize all media using appropriate alt tags which help search engine crawlers understand what each item is about — this can improve your chances of being selected by Google’s algorithms for inclusion in its featured snippets section!
Optimize Site Speed & Performance
Site speed and performance are essential for SEO success; if your website takes too long to load or crashes frequently, then chances are it won’t be ranked highly by search engines – let alone get a featured snippet on Google!
Make sure that your site speed is optimized; otherwise, potential customers may give up before ever visiting your page!
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Keep Your Snippet Length Reasonable
It’s tempting to try to cram as much information into a snippet as possible, but this can harm your chances of getting featured by Google.
Try to keep your snippet length between 40-50 words so that it doesn’t take up too much space on the search engine results page (SERP).
Optimize Your Meta Descriptions
Your meta description should accurately describe what potential customers will find when they click on your website link.
Make sure it’s properly optimized with keywords and natural language so that users can easily understand what they’ll find when they arrive at your site.
To learn more, you may watch the video below for a step-by-step guide.
Conclusion
Getting selected by Google’s algorithms for inclusion in its featured snippets section requires time and effort but can have huge benefits for businesses looking to increase their online visibility and reach new customers!
It may seem intimidating at first, but with practice, and by following these guidelines you’ll be able to outrank the competition effortlessly!
Remember though; no matter how much effort you put into optimizing your posts for SEO or how many features snippets you manage to snag — at the end of the day it all comes down to providing quality content that readers want — so don’t forget about this part either!
Need help to outrank your competition using Google Featured Snippets?
Veronica Lim
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