Gathering traffic using Google is not easy. You need to equip your website or blog with all the features in order to achieve the best results. Using ads is good, but having your content shown as snippets attracts more attention and gives you the needed limelight.
What Are Snippets?
Snippets, in simple terms, are short information boxes that show up at the top.
Google created this algorithm to make it user friendly. The contents shown are the most searched queries of users. It displays top results, topic, title, and highlighted sentences that match the query.
Pin this article on your Pinterest Blogging Board:
But snippets are not just plain texts; they can work more efficiently. The use of snippets has tremendously increased in the last few years to enhance traffic. It’s an easy, simple, convenient, and reliable means to capture your audience’s attention.
Just typing your query in the search box gives you the most expected results. so there is no need to click any link or get redirected to a new page.
Featured snippets are vigorously used by marketers and strategists to beat their competitors. The position of the featured snippet is known as position zero.
It is because featured snippets take up the most space on a search results page. They are usually at the very top of the page, too.
Featured snippets make an online search easier since users can see the answer they are looking for at a glance. Google programmatically picks the best result from a third-party website and features it in a snippet.
Rich Answer
Snippets are also known as Instant or Quick answers that are directly answered by Google without any credit to the site. Typically, these include factual data like date of birth or death, measurements or universal constants (scientific), etc.
Knowledge Graph
Answers pulled up from a variety of sources. These always result from brand or organization searches, tourist attraction sites, amusement park rides, etc.
Often you see images lined up just below the search bar.
Types Of Snippets
Paragraph
The most popular types of snippets are Paragraph snippets. They contain answers to WH- questions of why, who, when, what and how. These answers get displayed in paragraph format.
List
Answers presented in the form of bulleted lists or numbered lists come under this type of snippet. Mostly recipes or instructions on how to do things get displayed in list snippets. Numbered lists get employed for DIY projects, recipes, etc., while bulleted lists are for best-of lists, ranked or unranked lists, etc.
Table
Table snippets contain well-structured, concise, accurate data presented in a tabular format. Comparison charts or scientific data get displayed this way.
Featured
The featured snippet contains the exact answer to the query and thus is present above the first search result.
They are also known as rich answers or answer boxes.
Featured snippets contain an image most of the time. However, the source of the answer and that of the image may be different.
YouTube Featured
Sometimes, as per the user question, Google may pull up videos from YouTube as a snippet from the content in the description box may be used to answer the question. It is better to optimize your videos so that they have a higher chance of being chosen.
Example: how to cut your hair at home
Benefits Of Snippets
It Steals A Large Amount Of Traffic From The First Search Result
In general, featured snippets do not get more clicks as they compete with the first ranked websites. Yet even a considerable number of clicks makes a big difference in content ranking. So, if your website is not in the top ranks, having a featured snippet may be helpful to welcome more users.
You Become A Trusted Source
Once you become a trusted source, your website content will place frequently, giving you consistent attention and user interaction. You will become the source of reliable information in the domain of your content. The website will get tagged as Google’s recommendation. So more people will visit your website, as it’s the desired and top choice by the search engine.
Eg: wikipedia, quora, dictionary, etc.
Dealing With Voice Search Users
Even if voice search is not the prime way of most users, it’s the best bet for jumping up in higher ranks. Researchers have stated that, in the coming years, most searches will be using voice-controlled assistance like Google Assistance, Siri, Cortana, etc.
So it’s best to include natural words or content elements on your website to get the top spot in the snippet section.
How To Optimize Your Content Using Snippets
Try to Post Content that Puts You on the First Page of Google Searches
Having your content on the first page greatly increases your chances of being featured in a snippet. Hence, it organically gets your site into high ranks.
Some other factors to note:
- Make your website user-friendly and mobile-friendly.
- Practice internal linking and also link to quality external links.
- Fix any SEO related problems.
- Optimize your images.
- Change from HTTP protocol to SSL protocol.
Look Into "People Also Ask" For Valuable Inputs
When researching the keywords for an article, it’s beneficial to check out the “people also ask” section that gets displayed below the featured snippet. The more questions you answer in your blog, the higher your chance of claiming the top spot.
Check the Rankings of Keywords that You Use
The most used particular keywords often find their place in featured snippets boxes.
Try finding and using those keywords in your articles to get an edge over other content on the same topic.
Use Words That Are Most Snippet Friendly
The key to making your information show up in the snippet is to include words most searched by users. There are many websites through which you can check the ranking of the words used for most queries. The details regarding more relevant words are present on websites that give information on Search Analytics.
Organize Your Content In Reverse Order
By capitalizing on this point, you can greatly increase the chances of your content getting the top spot. Organizing your content in an inverse or reverse pyramid is a concept of journalism. It is about placing the most valuable information at the top and then following it with the supporting elements of the article pieced together. It’s a smart technique to use to rank high in a Google search.
Follow Optimal Word Count
Featured snippets are always on point with answers and are typically within 40–50 words. Try including all the necessary points and be within the word count. Including excessive and unnecessary information will push your article down, leading to minimal chances of getting featured as a snippet.
Formatting Is The Key
There are different types of snippets. Construct your content according to the desired snippet format you are aiming for by using either numbered lists or graphs or tables, etc. Keep your answers short, simple, easy to understand, and to the point to court frequent access by users.
Add FAQ Content For Quick Attention
Addressing the questions users want to know that pertain to the content on your website tremendously boosts your website’s chances of getting into the top ranks.
FAQs are also a gateway for site owners to offer their products and services. Keep your answers straightforward by avoiding unnecessary details.
