Featured Snippets (known by SEOers as Position 0) appear in Google search results for queries with at least some monthly searches, making these an elusive goal to attain. In order to qualify for one of these coveted spots, thorough content evaluation and optimization must take place prior to submission for consideration.
Start by identifying relevant keywords. Tools like Ahrefs and STAT can assist in uncovering keyword opportunities that fit with the search intent of your audience.
Identifying Opportunities
Featured snippets provide searchers with quick, straightforward answers. Their competitive edge can lead to increased clicks, higher visibility and traffic for your content. Although securing position zero may seem challenging, adhering to best practices and regularly optimizing it are keys to securing it and reaching success.
Start by performing a SERP analysis. Utilizing tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs, identify keywords ranking within the top five positions and inspect them for queries with sufficient monthly search volumes – these may have the potential to trigger featured snippets and should be prioritized when optimizing.
Undergo a competitor analysis. Pay attention to your competitors’ content, and identify which terms they’re targeting for snippets as well as their current positions on SERPs. Prioritize keywords targeted for optimization with plans created to surpass them in ranking positions while working toward securing your own snippet.
Examine the current SERP snippets for your priority keywords and observe their format, structure, and wording. If a paragraph-style snippet exists on its SERP result page, try to emulate its style and language on your site; similarly if it features bulleted lists then aim to include one similar list on your own pages.
Another key consideration in ranking for featured snippets on Google is trust and authority assigned by the search engine. An item from an authoritative source with high domain authority and low spam score has a higher likelihood of appearing as featured content, rather than one from unknown sources. You can leverage existing trust signals or take steps to create one by developing content that solves people’s problems or answers their questions; such content makes an ideal candidate for featured snippet placement – such as FAQ pages or revamped blogs that help address users’ needs directly.
Optimizing Your Content
Although there are various on-page optimization techniques that can help secure you a featured snippet, the key factor for success lies in making sure your content meets the needs of search engine users. This means directly responding to user searches with clear and succinct answers that directly address their query or intent behind their searches. Furthermore, having an organized keyword strategy as well as using semantically related terminology within your content is also helpful in this endeavor.
Begin by reviewing the current snippets that appear for your target keywords using tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Their reports can provide invaluable information, such as which types of content formats Google prefers and their usage in snippets; take this data into consideration when developing content strategies.
If the majority of search queries involve paragraph-length results, then creating high-quality and comprehensive answers that satisfy both search query and user intent is paramount. This could involve writing an entire blog post with these answers or adding an FAQs section to existing pages on your site.
Once your content has been produced, be sure that it adheres to basic on-page SEO best practices, such as using keyword-rich titles and H2 and H3 headings. Furthermore, including relevant links as well as an author page is useful in building credibility and authority for the author and brand.
Finally, your content should be tailored towards the snippet you are targeting. For instance, if you wish to rank for definition snippets, compose your content similarly and avoid including bias or opinions in it.
Before attempting to win a featured snippet, your content needs to rank highly in standard search results. A previous study from Ahrefs discovered that results ranking on the first page have an impressive 30.9% chance of becoming featured snippets while those appearing in positions 2 or 3 only stand a 17.5% chance.
If your content isn’t currently ranking in one of these spots, investing in a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign could increase its odds. Not only can these ads drive qualified traffic and conversions; they could even promote itself!
Link Building
Success in landing a featured snippet gives your content an immediate increase in search visibility and gives it an edge against competing websites vying for position one. But winning it is only half the battle; once secured, make sure it remains there!
Featured Snippets (FSs) are meant to quickly answer searchers’ questions. Google selects results that best meet users’ intent for featured snippets, so it’s vital that your content answers users’ inquiries quickly and concisely. You can do this by inserting questions directly into titles and headings or creating an FAQ section on your website; similarly, tools like Moz’s Keyword Explorer allow you to research popular queries in your industry such as “Shopify 1099 tax forms”, wherein users want answers like: what are shopify 1099 tax forms?”. For instance if you want to rank for “Shopify 1099 tax forms” you may discover that the most frequently asked question about them is “what are shopify 1099 tax forms?”.
Consider which competitors are ranking in position 0 and what types of content they’re producing; this will give you insight into Google’s preferred structure and format for featured snippets that you can then incorporate into your own content creation process. For instance, featured snippets might feature images or videos, so consider including similar assets on your page to meet its standards.
To identify potential opportunities, tools like Semrush and Ahrefs can help identify keyword that currently trigger featured snippets. With existing organic keywords, search volume analysis and top ten results analysis can reveal any competing content for that position. Once identified, take action by including them in H1 title tags or directly addressing user intent on your page content to optimize it further.
As a rule of thumb, it’s wise to focus on targeting questions in both your title and headers, since search engines prioritize this strategy. A study by STAT found that search terms beginning with “what”, “how”, “where”, or “why” were more likely to trigger featured snippets; tools like Semrush and Ahrefs’ Organic Search Term Report can also help filter for questions associated with specific keywords you are targeting.
Keyword Research
Featured snippets are an effective way of spreading your content to users, yet they also present some challenges. According to Ahrefs, most featured snippets come from sites ranked within the top three positions on search results pages; so it may be more challenging for non-page one or two sites with optimized content to gain a snippet position even when optimizing for it.
Ahrefs has found that comparison keywords (such as “best,” “vs.” or “review”) are most likely to produce featured snippets as they have an intent-rich user intent that drives traffic and engagement back to your website.
Long-tail keywords are also key in securing featured snippets, increasing your likelihood of matching user intent while helping to identify queries with an answer box opportunity. Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs allow you to analyze competitors’ websites and content to see which keywords have triggered featured snippets for them as well as which snippets they have secured.
Examining Google Snippets can provide invaluable inspiration for website and blog content development. However, keep in mind that their algorithms may prefer different information than you might as they try to meet user demands.
Regularly reviewing and optimizing content are integral parts of securing and maintaining a featured snippet. Search intent is of utmost importance when reviewing keyword strategy, so revisiting keywords may yield new opportunities. Track snippet positions using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs while keeping an eye on traffic by monitoring results using Google Search Console – you might also observe changes in ranking positions or traffic over time through tools like this!