Optimizing your content doesn’t stop at your website’s design or choosing the right keywords for SEO. You must also consider how your content will appear in search results.

The moment you search for something on Google, you’re shown a list of possible results. Of course, people want to know what a page is about before they click on it. This is what featured snippets are all about.

So what are featured snippets, and are they important for SEO? DLinkers gets to the bottom of it all.

What is a featured snippet?

A featured snippet is what appears at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) when you Google something. It’s Google’s way of giving users a more detailed answer to their query without clicking on a result.

Let’s say you search for “how to make a cake.” The featured snippet might give you a step-by-step guide on how to make a cake, complete with photos and a list of ingredients.

Also called “position #0”, featured snippets are designed to give users the information they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Types of featured snippets

Paragraphs

Paragraphs are the most common type of featured snippet. They usually consist of a short answer to the user’s question pulled from a webpage.

Also called “direct answers,” these featured snippets usually appear when the user asks a question that can be answered with a short, straightforward answer.

Lists

Lists are another common type of featured snippet. They often appear as bullet points or numbers and are great for giving quick, easy-to-digest answers.

Tables

Tables are featured snippets that consist of data presented in a tabular format. They’re often used to compare different products or services.

Videos

Videos are featured snippets that appear as a video player, with a thumbnail image and title. They usually come from YouTube but can also be pulled from other video-sharing sites.

Images

Images are featured snippets consisting of a single image, a title, and accompanying text. They’re often used to show products or how-to guides.

Map Packs

Map packs are featured snippets that appear for local searches. They consist of a map with up to three listings for businesses in the area, along with the businesses’ addresses, phone numbers, and ratings.

Depending on the query, featured snippets can be pulled from various sources, including websites, blogs, and even social media sites.

The importance of featured snippets for SEO

They’re attention-grabbing:

Featured snippets stand out from the rest of the results on a SERP, which means they’re more likely to be seen by users.

They give you an edge over your competition:

Optimizing your content to appear in a featured snippet will give you a better chance of ranking above your competitors. Think about it: if two results are identical, but one has a featured snippet, and the other doesn’t, which one are you more likely to click on?

They help you build authority:

Featured snippets are a sign of trustworthiness. After all, if Google is featuring your content in a featured snippet, that means they think it’s the best result out of everything.

They boost traffic:

It’s estimated that approximately 30% of all clicks go to featured snippets. That means if you can optimize your content to appear in a featured snippet, you could see a significant boost in traffic.

Read More: How to Rank Your Blog Content on Google’s Featured Snippets 

How to optimize for featured snippets

1. Find out what kinds of featured snippets appear for your target keywords.

Look at the SERPs for your target keywords and see what featured snippets appear. Are they paragraphs, lists, videos, or something else?

So what do you do with this information? It’ll give you a good idea of what kind of content you need to create to compete for the featured snippet.

For example, if you see many lists appearing for your target keywords, you’ll need to create a list-based article as well, so you get a better chance at ranking.

Read More: A Step-by-Step Guide to Rank for Google’s Featured Snippets 

2. Exploit featured snippet opportunities.

There are a few different ways you can do this. The first is to find keywords that have featured snippets but don’t have many results. This means there’s less competition for the featured snippet, and you have a better chance of ranking.

To find these keywords, you can use a tool like Ahrefs. Enter your target keyword into the tool and go to the “SERP overview” report. This will show you how many results there are for that keyword, as well as what kind of featured snippet is appearing.

You can also use Google Search Console to find keywords that have featured snippets. Go to “Search Traffic” and then “Search Analytics.” Then, filter the results by “position” and choose “1-4.” This will show you all the keywords that have a featured snippet.

3. Optimize your content to rank in featured snippets.

Once you’ve identified some keywords that have featured snippets, it’s time to optimize your content to rank for those keywords. Here are a few tips:

• Make sure your content is comprehensive and covers the topic in-depth. Google wants to make sure that featured snippets are as useful as possible, so they’re more likely to choose content that covers the topic in detail.

• Use lists, tables, and other structured data. This makes your content easier for Google to understand and more likely to be featured in a featured snippet.

• Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions. This helps Google understand what your content is about and increases your chances of ranking in a featured snippet.

• Make sure your content is well-written and free of errors. Google is more likely to choose content that is well-written and error-free.

Read More: 4 Practical Tips to Win With Evergreen Content 

4. Focus on long-tail keywords.

What do long-tail keywords have to do with featured snippets? It turns out that they’re more likely to result in a featured snippet than shorter, more general keywords.

This makes sense when you think about it: long-tail keywords are usually more specific, which means they’re less competitive and easier to rank for. And since they’re more specific, they’re also more likely to result in a featured snippet.

So if you’re looking to optimize for featured snippets, focus on long-tail keywords everywhere, from your titles to your descriptions to your actual content.

5. Optimize your content depending on the specific snippet type.

There are a few different types of featured snippets, and each one requires slightly different optimization techniques. Here’s a quick overview of the most common types of featured snippets:

• Paragraph snippets: To optimize for paragraph snippets, make sure your content is well-written and comprehensive. 

Google is looking for factual content (not opinions) that covers the topic in-depth, so make sure your content does that. You should also focus on long-tail keywords, as they’re more likely to be featured in paragraph snippets.

• List snippets: To optimize for list snippets, create a list-based article. This could be a list of tips, a list of resources, a list of products, etc. 

Google is looking for content that is easy to read and understand, so make sure your lists are easy to follow.

• Table snippets: To optimize for table snippets, use tables in your content. This may mean creating a table of contents, using a table to compare products, or something else. 

Google is looking for content that is easy to understand and digest, so make sure your tables are well-organized and complete.

• Video snippets: To optimize for video snippets, create a video that covers the topic of your article. What works best here will vary depending on the topic, but in general, you want to create a video that actually answers what’s being asked.

6. Use the right keyword in the right place.

When creating content, most times, it’s not about volume, it’s about quality. To get a featured snippet, you need to use the target keyword in the right places. This includes the title, H2s, H3s, and throughout the body of your content.

Depending on what type of featured snippet you’re targeting, you may also need to use the keyword in other places. For example, if you want to rank in a video featured snippet, you need to use the keyword in the video title, description, and tags.

7. Make sure your page already ranks in the top 10.

Unfortunately, the truth is that you’re not likely to get a featured snippet if your page doesn’t already rank in the top 10. This is because Google only displays featured snippets for pages that are already ranking well.

So if you’re not already ranking in the top 10, your first priority should be to focus on SEO  basics and efforts to improve your organic rankings. Once you’re ranking in the top 10, you can focus on featured snippets.

FAQs:

Q. What is a featured snippet?

A. A featured snippet is a special box that appears at the top of Google’s search results. It contains information from one of the websites that Google has determined to be the most relevant for the user’s query.

Q. What are the benefits of having a featured snippet?

A. The benefits of having a featured snippet are twofold. First, it can help you get more traffic to your website. Second, it can help you build trust and authority with Google.

Q. Will every page on my website be eligible for a featured snippet?

A. No, not every page on your website will be eligible for a featured snippet. Google only displays featured snippets for pages that are already ranking well.

Conclusion

Featured snippets are an important part of SEO, and they can help you get more traffic to your website. By Optimizing your content for featured snippets, you can give yourself a better chance of ranking in these results.