What is a Featured Snippet? How to Get One [Expert Guide]

Featured snippets have become an essential part of SEO, offering a prime opportunity to gain visibility and drive traffic to your website. As a SaaS link building agency, VH Info understands the importance of optimizing for featured snippets to help our clients achieve their SEO goals.

In this super detailed guide, we’re going to really dig into featured snippets and chat about their perks, different types, and some solid tips to help you land that sweet “position zero” on Google’s search results page.

What is a Featured Snippet?

A featured snippet is a concise answer to a searcher’s question that appears at the top of Google’s search results page, above the organic search results. These snippets are designed to provide users with quick, relevant information without having to click through to a website. Featured snippets are extracted from web pages that Google deems to have the best answer to a particular query.

Benefits of Featured Snippets

1. Boosted Rankings: One of the most significant benefits of featured snippets is their ability to boost your rankings. By securing a featured snippet, your web page essentially ranks at the top of the search results page, even if your organic ranking is lower.
2. Increased CTR (Sometimes): While featured snippets can lead to increased click-through rates (CTR), it’s important to note that this isn’t always the case. In some instances, users may find the information they need directly in the snippet and not click through to the website.
3. Improved Brand Awareness: Being featured in a snippet positions your brand as an authority on the subject matter, increasing brand awareness and credibility.
4. Optimized For Voice Search: Featured snippets are often used by virtual assistants like Google Assistant to provide direct answers to voice search queries, making it important to optimize for this growing trend.

Are Featured Snippets Dying?

Despite some concerns about the future of featured snippets, they remain a valuable part of SEO. While Google has made some changes to how google featured snippets are displayed, they continue to drive traffic and improve visibility for websites that optimize for them effectively.

Types of Featured Snippets

There are four main types of featured snippets:

1. Paragraph Snippets: Paragraph snippets are the most common type of featured snippet, providing a concise answer to a searcher’s question in a short paragraph.
2. List Snippets: List snippets present information in a numbered list or bulleted list format, often for “how-to” queries or ranking items.
3. Table Snippets: Table snippets display data in a structured table format, making it easy for users to compare information.
4. Video Snippets: Video snippets feature a video thumbnail and link directly to the video, usually for “how-to” or tutorial-related queries.

How to Get Featured Snippets (4 Proven Tips)

1. Include Concise Explanations: To increase your chances of securing a featured snippet, provide concise, direct answers to common questions related to your topic.
2. Help Google Find Your Snippet With Headings & Questions: Use headings (H2, H3) and questions in your content to help Google identify the most relevant information for featured snippets.
3. Use Data-Driven, Well-Structured Content: Include data, facts, and statistics in your content, and structure it using tables, lists, and other formatting techniques to make it easier for Google to extract snippets.
4. Always Consider Search Intent: When creating content, focus on understanding and addressing the search intent behind the queries you’re targeting.

How to Get a Featured Snippet on Google?

1. Install An SEO Plugin On Your CMS: Use an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath to optimize your content for featured snippets and other SEO best practices.
2. Implement Schema Markup: Add schema markup to your web pages to help Google better understand your content and increase your chances of earning a featured snippet.
3. Optimize Content Structure For Featured Snippets: Structure your content using headings, lists, tables, and other formatting techniques that make it easier for Google to extract snippets.
4. Use Table of Contents: Include a table of contents in your longer articles to help Google navigate your content and identify relevant sections for featured snippets.
5. Create the Best Piece of Content on the Subject: Focus on creating comprehensive, high-quality content that thoroughly addresses the topic and provides value to your target audience.
6. Check Out Your Competitors: Analyze the featured snippets your competitors have earned to identify opportunities and gaps in your own content strategy.

How to Find Featured Snippet Opportunities?

1. Start With Keyword Research: Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords and phrases with featured snippet potential.
2. Research Popular Questions: Use tools like Answer the Public and AlsoAsked to find common questions related to your topic that could lead to featured snippet opportunities.
3. Identify Search Queries Where You Already Rank High: Focus on optimizing content for queries where your web page already ranks on the first page of search results, as these are prime opportunities for featured snippets.
4. Examine the Current Search Engine Results Page (SERP) Landscape: Analyze the current featured snippets and content ranking for your target queries to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
5. Go Beyond Traditional Keyword Research Tools and Ask People: Engage with your target audience through surveys, social media, or customer support to uncover the questions and topics they’re most interested in.

How to Optimize For Featured Snippets?

1. Optimize For Long-Tail and Question-Like Keywords: Target long-tail keywords and question-based queries that are more likely to trigger featured snippets.
2. Improve Your Rankings: Focus on improving your overall search rankings, as web pages that rank on the first page of search results have a better chance of earning featured snippets.
3. Find “Low-Hanging” Opportunities: Identify queries where you already rank on the first page but don’t yet have a featured snippet, as these are often easier to optimize for.
4. Use the Inverted Pyramid Style: Structure your content using the inverted pyramid style, presenting the most important information first, followed by supporting details.
5. Format Your Content: Use formatting techniques like headings, lists, tables, and bullet points to make your content more snippet-friendly.
6. Use “Trigger” Words: Include trigger words and phrases like “how to,” “what is,” “step-by-step,” and “best” in your content to signal relevance for featured snippets.
7. Keep An Optimal Word Count: Aim for concise, direct answers to questions, typically between 40-60 words for paragraph snippets.

Challenges in Obtaining Featured Snippets

Despite the benefits of featured snippets, there are some challenges to consider:

1. Competition: As more websites optimize for featured snippets, it can become increasingly difficult to secure them.
2. Volatility: Featured snippets can change frequently, making it challenging to maintain your position.
3. Lack of control: Google ultimately decides which content to feature in snippets, so there’s no guarantee your optimized content will be chosen.

How to Track Featured Snippets?

To track your featured snippet performance, use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz that offer SERP feature tracking. These tools can help you monitor your snippets, identify new opportunities, and track your competitors’ performance.

Featured Snippets Example

Example 1 (Table Snippet):

A featured snippet example in the competitive real estate industry might include a search query like “Average home prices in [City Name].”

Google could display a table snippet showcasing average home prices by neighborhood, number of bedrooms, or property type.

This search result provides a quick snapshot of the local real estate market, allowing users to compare prices across different areas.

Example 2 (Paragraph Snippets):

Here’s an example of a paragraph featured snippet for the query “What is a featured snippet”:

A featured snippet is a summary of an answer to a user’s query, which is displayed on top of Google search results. It’s extracted from a webpage and includes the page’s title and URL.

Paragraph snippets are considered the most common type of featured snippets. A good featured snippet usually gives a direct answer to regular searches.

FAQ’s:

How Can I Mark My Page as a Featured Snippet?

There’s no specific way to mark your page as a featured snippet. Google’s search algorithms automatically determine which content to feature based on relevance, quality, and formatting.

What Qualifies Content to Be a Featured Snippet?

To qualify for a featured snippet, your content should provide a concise, direct answer to a searcher’s question, be well-structured, and adhere to SEO best practices.

What Happens When a User Clicks a Featured Snippet?

When a user clicks on a featured snippet, they are directed to the specific section of the web page where the snippet content is located.

Can Featured Snippets Drive Significant Traffic to My Site?

Yes, featured snippets can drive significant traffic to your site, as they occupy prime real estate at the top of the search results page.

How Often Do Featured Snippets Get Updated?

Featured snippets can be updated frequently, sometimes even daily, depending on changes in search algorithms, content updates, and competition.

Are There Any Industries That Benefit More From Featured Snippets?

Industries that tend to have a lot of informational content, such as healthcare, finance, and technology, often benefit more from featured snippets.

Conclusion

Featured snippets offer a powerful opportunity to boost your SEO, drive traffic, and establish your brand as an authority in your industry.

Understanding the different types of featured snippets, optimizing your content, and tracking your performance can significantly improve your chances of securing that coveted “position zero” on Google’s search results page.

At VH Info, we specialize in helping SaaS companies optimize their content for featured snippets and other SEO best practices.

Our experienced team can guide you through the process, from identifying opportunities to creating snippet-friendly content that drives results. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you take your SEO to the next level with featured snippet optimization.