Featured Snippets are quick blurbs of text and a link that show on the top of Google Search Engine Results Pages intended to give a quick answer to a search query. Google’s algorithm determines which pages contain content that’s best suited for a featured snippet that shows at the top of the page. The way featured snippets are displayed at the top of the search results separate the listing from the rest of the listings on the page.
Featured snippets frequently appear for informational searches and can be key to driving massive amounts of organic traffic to your site. Many SEO pros refer to featured snippets as appearing in “position 0” because they’re displayed above all other results.
More Information on Search Engine Results Pages
Featured snippets were introduced in 2014 as a way for Google to give answers to search queries more directly and add some variety to SERPs.
How to Get a Featured Snippet
Featured snippets generally show for searches with a question or for specific information and show more information than a traditional search result. Content for the featured snippet is taken directly from the page it’s linking to and can be displayed in a variety of formats. A longer paragraph block of text answering a question is the most popular type of featured snippet but there are others with different elements like tables and lists.
Identifying valuable searches that featured snippets are already being displayed for is the first step to getting a featured snippet in Google search results. Snippets often show when you search a question so thinking of your target audience and what they’re most curious about can lead to a good list of searches to target.
Once you have a list of good questions/terms showing featured snippets, creating content focused on answering those questions is the next step. Content should be to the point and answer questions as directly as possible for the best chance to land a featured snippet.
Use Clear Heading Hierarchy
Making sure to add headings to separate content into smaller more-easily read sections on a page intended to answer keyword-focused questions is important. Implementing a hierarchy with one <h1> tag, subheading <h2> tags, and sub-subheading <h3> tags on all your pages will make it easier for search bots to determine what your site is about and how content can be used in a featured snippet.
Display Important Information in Lists
Lists make it easier for humans to digest information which makes content in <ul> or <ol> tags perfect for featured snippets. A list element is perfect for showing instructions related to a specific search or adding long-tail keywords to a post in a format search engines can display in featured snippets.
Featured Snippets Impact on SEO
Getting a featured snippet related to an important keyword for your site can have a major impact on traffic from organic search. The “position 0” placement above all other search results make them much more likely to get clicks than other search results due to its prominent location. Every site and search term is different but research has shown that featured snippets account for over 35% of clicks on Google searches so optimizing for them is a must.
Increase in No-click Searches
Featured snippets on SERPs has helped sites lucky enough to show in “position 0” but it has also lead to an increase in searches that don’t result in a click. Some SEO experts argue that the snippets can answer a search query too well and keep people from ever leaving the Google Search page because their question has already been answered.
The introduction of featured snippets on Google SERPs marked a major shift in SEO and gave smaller sites another way to drive traffic from organic search. Identifying searches relevant to your focus keywords that already have featured snippets showing so you can create targeted content and give your site the best chance to show on the top of page 1.