Google keeps refining the search features and SERPs. One such change in the way that results are displayed to users is Google’s featured snippets. Featured snippets are quite beneficial for marketers/ businesses as this means higher visibility and click through rates. This post highlights how to get website in Google’s featured snippets.

Featured snippets are search results that get featured on top of Google’s results, right below the ads. They are also referred to as ‘Position 0’ as they appear above the first organic result. Featured snippets are also called answer boxes as they are aimed at answering the questions of the users. It is one of the advanced SEO techniques which result in additional brand exposure and higher CTR.

Types of featured snippets

The major types of featured snippets are:

  • Paragraph: In this type of featured snippet the answer is in a box in the form of a paragraph. Sometimes, there is an image accompanying it. It is the most common type of featured snippet.
  • List: The answer to the user’s query is given in the form of a list.
  • Table: The answer is in the form of a table.

Things advertising cannot do:

How to find opportunities for featured snippets?

Most of the websites which are featured, rank in the first page of the search results. So if your website ranks high for particular search query, there are chances that your content will appear in the featured snippets. The types of queries which get featured results include mathematical topics, processes, definitions, requirements for something, etc.

The easiest way of finding opportunities to get featured snippets is to think of a question related to your content. Then enter this question in the search query. Now your task is to find valuable and low competition keywords. Use Google keywords planner and also look at the ‘people also ask for’ section in the SERPs for the same. Identify queries for which your website ranks high and ask people for the kind of questions they enter into search query. Create a list of such questions and analyse opportunities where the competition is low enough to get to Position 0. Read the best tactics to achieve higher results in search engine result pages, in our blog: BEST TACTICS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER RESULTS IN SEARCH ENGINE RESULT PAGES (SERPs).


How to know what the audience is searching for?

Finding questions which are important for your audience is quite easy. Use popular question and answer portals like Quora and Yahoo answers. When you enter a question, you will be able to see a number of related questions. You can also find groups related to your niche, monitor questions people ask on Twitter, etc.


Tips to help you get your website in Google’s featured snippets

  • On page optimisation: On page optimisation is quite essential because most of the websites which appear in the featured snippets already rank high for the queries. To increase visibility of website on Google, start with content Optimisation.
  • Structured markup: Working with website structured content might increase your chances to get your content at position 0.
  • Answer the question in a concise manner: Google seems to prefer content for featured snippets when the answer is given in approximately 45 to 65 words. Thus, break your content into subsections by asking the question in the article as a sub-heading and answer it in a clear and concise manner.
  • Organise your content: A lot of time the featured snippets contain steps, lists, numbers, etc. Therefore, wherever possible, use numbers and lists. Comparison charts and lists are a great way to get featured because well organized, structured, factual and number driven content seems to be preferred by Google.
  • Answer many similar questions: If you manage to get your website in Google’s featured snippets, there are chances that you can get featured for a lot of similar queries. So, it is a good idea to create posts which have answers to similar questions.

Read about the parameters of SEO friendly content, in our blog: PARAMETERS OF SEO FRIENDLY CONTENT FOLLOWED BY MOST SEO FRIENDLY WEBSITES.

Featured snippets are a growing area of competition for the websites which rank in the top ten because they increase visibility of website on Google and also result in more brand exposure. To get your website in Google’s featured snippets search for the right keywords, prepare structured and logical content and re-optimise it.

UNI SQUARE CONCEPTS

Uni Square Concepts is an advertising agency located in New Delhi, India. By initiating The Uni Square Blog, we aim to provide a comprehensive portal where readers can educate themselves about the various aspects of advertising and marketing. The articles and blogs are written by our professional team of content writers, under the guidance of senior leaders of Uni Square Concepts including its CEO, Uday Sonthalia.