Why everyone is chasing on the featured snippet when Google had decided to show them less often than they do previously?
The answer is simple, traffic.
Google’s focus on helping users find more relevant and high-quality content faster are one of the main reasons why they had placed featured snippets above regular position in SERP.
Here at JustRank, we called the featured snippet Position #0 ranking.
The entire search engine optimization community has been looking for some ways to get more featured snippets on Google SERP.
But, the thing is how to get a featured snippet. As Google’s John Mueller once said, there is not a set of checklists that you can follow to get a featured snippet.
And it’s because there are many factors that need to be considered such as the query itself, content quality and on-page optimization and etc.
However, we can still find some common patterns between those featured snippets that Google does show in their SERP.
Here are 8 tips that could help your content get featured snippet in Google search that we had actually tested ourselves.
#1 – Use ahrefs to find snippets
Ahrefs is an all-rounded SEO tool that provides more insights than you normally need.
You can use this tool to find out which terms or query that is being featured snippet from your competitor.
Enter the domain in the “Site Explorer” tab.
For this example, we’ll be using TechCrunch.
Type in the URL and run an analysis under */.domains/* and navigate to the “organic keywords” section on the left panel.
Apply filter by checking only the “Featured Snippet” under the “SERP Features” column.
Now, you’ll be able to see all the ranking keywords that are having featured snippets in Google search results.
Here’s an example of it if you search the term “iPhone xs price” on Google US.
Now, target those keywords and have better content than them.
#2 – The Old-School way of research – Type your query in Google
It’s the easiest and cheapest way to find out if there’s any chance that the keyword that you are trying to rank will be getting any featured snippet.
Examine the search results and look for any featured snippet results.
If there aren’t any, most probably you won’t be getting any as well even you successfully ranked the keyword.
If you study closely, usually there are only a few types of content that are getting featured snippets.
Those are usually paragraph, list, bullet, and video types.
And, in general, it’s always a good idea to check the SERP by putting queries with realistic expectations.
#3 – Provide a short and concise answer as early as possible
If you are trying to teach how to upgrade the iMac ram, get on to it with an easy to understand steps or brief then only you get into the details.
Best if you can provide the step-by-step instructions or an ordered list in the simplest form at the beginning of your article.
You can add the explanation to a later part of your article.
Provide a quick and concise answer to the searcher.
This could also be a type of listicle, which means you can separate the steps into a list with a brief explanation below each.
Just leave enough room for Google to show a featured snippet.
#4 – Implement Relevant Schema Markup
It helps Google bots to better understand your article by providing relevant schema markup.
Schema markup will show up as additional info in the search results when your content is rich with relevant data.
If you are adding the frequently asked question section in your article, make sure you implement the FAQ schema markup.
The same goes for Breadcrumb, Reviews, Event, How-to, Job Posting and etc. One of my favorite go-to schema markup generators has to be the Merkel.
Use the structured data testing tool by Google to verify if your schema markup data had been added correctly.
Tips: For the Merkel method, it is best if you know how to add HTML code to your page or post. Otherwise, you can use a plugin as well if you are using WordPress CMS.
#5 – Create Table
Google loves the tables for their queries.
Stick to HTML tables in your article as they are more likely to have featured snippets than fancy tables.
If you are dealing with lots of data, then a simple HTML table should be a better choice rather than a heavily-CSS style kind of table.
It’s much easier for readers to read and also well-organized.
Google bots will be able to crawl and pick up information easily and present them in the most organized structure way.
The table is great for readers to consume as well in a glance.
#6 – Use Headings in Your List or Steps
If you are producing content that involves procedure or steps, make sure you wrap those steps in an H2 tag.
It will help Google bots to understand what the content is about by grouping all those headings together.
There a lot of different types of headings as well such as H2, H3, and H4.
The purpose of using headings is to help identify sections and topics when the content is dense or extensive in nature.
For an example: <h2>Step #1: Prepare the egg</h2>.
Continue the paragraphing with a further explanation if needed and wrap the next step with another H2 tag.
#7 – Picked Long Tail Keyword
A long-tail keyword is the type keyword that has less than 100 monthly searches and is 3 or 4 words above.
They are the words that are getting less attention and thus less competition as well.
Long-tail keywords can help you get featured snippets more easily.
However, don’t overdo it.
You want to make sure that the long-tail keyword is actually relevant to the rest of your content or your niche.
#8 – Make Video
If you are looking to get a featured snippet, then consider creating a video and put them on Youtube.
Video-based content gets featured snippets easily due to its uniqueness and visually appealing.
Some topics are just better with video or animation.
Don’t just rely solely on videos though.
Try incorporating some good-quality images or visual information. It’s one of the most overused tactics for getting a featured snippet in Google search results.
Conclusion
Google featured snippets are a way for Google to provide direct answers to people’s questions.
They are short and concise.
Now that you know how to get featured snippets in Google search, it’s time that you make the best use of this knowledge in order to optimize your site for search engines.
Go and give these tips a try.
Bear in mind though that there’s no guarantee for featured snippets – Even if you had followed all the tips.
Put Learning Into Practice
Grab our actionable local SEO checklist (with progress tracking) to gain an upper hand over your competitor now for FREE!
Resources:
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/appearance/featured-snippets
- https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9351707?hl=en
- https://www.impactplus.com/blog/definition-of-featured-snippet
