How to optimise for Featured Snippets?

What are “Featured Snippets” and how do they work?

In short, Featured Snippets are pieces of information that appear at the top of Google’s search results. As a result, users find an answer quickly by pulling relevant content from the top ranked pages. In fact, Google automatically extracts the content of a Featured Snippet from web pages. Consequently, that means the only way to be displayed as a Featured Snippet is through organic SEO. Continue reading and find out how to optimise your website.

There are 4 main types of snippets

1. Paragraph snippets – A paragraph snippet consists of a short text that answers a specific question.
2. Tables – This type of snippet is a visual representation that helps users analyse data and make comparisons.
3. Lists – List snippets make the material much more consumable and readable. This allows consumers to quickly scroll through the information.
4. Suggested videos – Appearing as a videoclip is another great way to attract visitors, with YouTube as the mainly used source for this type of snippet.

Increase your chances to get featured.

Your material must provide the most relevant answer to a user’s searched query. Learn to increase your chances of reaching position zero in the following section.

• Integrate the question into your content

First, ask yourself the question for which topic(s) your material provides an appropriate solution. To help Google determine whether your material contains a relevant answer, it’s smart to include the question as a subheading.

• Answer more than one question

Secondly, it is useful to answer multiple questions within the same topic. Multiple snippets could potentially be selected from the same web page. In other words, make sure to apply these strategies to the entire article. This will increase the chance that your article will be found online.

Thirdly, include high quality photos. Google does not allow you to select and tag your images. Furthermore, use attractive visuals and improve your CTR (click through rate).

• Use visuals such as lists, diagrams and photos

Lastly, end your response with a visual asset. This can be a list, a table, a diagram or an illustration. Google favours this type of content because it allows their customers to find the information they are looking for. Thanks to this, customers find the information in fewer clicks and in less time. For that reason, remember to use bulleted lists and high quality images.

Five ways to improve your SEO for snippets

• Start by structuring to your material and make sure all headings and sub headings are related to each other.
• Use the paragraph element to show Google that your answer to the question is a good fit for a Featured Snippet.
• Stay under 90 words for each paragraph.
• Tag bulleted lists, numbered lists, and tables to make indexing easier for Google.
• Use target questions as headings. Don’t forget to label them with the following heading tags <H1>, <H2> or <H3>.

In conclusion, featured snippets provide more exposure and site visits for businesses. While it’s uncertain that Google will mention your website as a snippet, it’s still worth the shot. Not to forget, try and create content that has a high chance of getting featured. Lastly, research popular questions within your branch and apply these principles. This will certainly boost your chances to get featured.

Many  4P consultants have worked on SEO and have put those SEO principles into practice in multiple customer projects. Get in touch!

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Laurens is a passionate marketing consultant at 4P square. With a strong interest in technology, digital marketing and project management. Laurens started his first project at PwC Belgium. There he was responible for putting their brand in the market from conceptualisation to implementation.

Laurens is analytical, customer-focused and not afraid to take on new challenges.

Want to know more about the author? Start a conversation with Laurens on LinkedIn.