Every SEO expert understands that appearing in a Google snippet is similar to winning the lottery. It’s the holy grail of SEO, and it can mean a massive increase in traffic to your website. But how do you get that coveted position? The answer is straightforward: learn how to appear in a featured snippet.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know about landing a featured snippet, from what they are to how to optimise your content for them. By the end of this article, you’ll be well on your way to increasing traffic to your website.
What exactly are featured snippets?
Featured snippets are a special type of result that appears at the top of the search eng,ine results page (SERP). These snippets are designed to give users quick and easy access to relevant information.
While featured snippets can be extremely beneficial for users, they can also be very advantageous for businesses. That’s because featured snippets often appear above the organic results, making them more likely to be seen by users. In addition, featured snippets are often accompanied by an image, which can further grab a user’s attention.
To earn a featured snippet, businesses need to take a strategic approach to their SEO. Here are four steps that can help:
- Research your competition.
It’s important to know who your competition is and what they are up to. If you don’t, you’ll be at a disadvantage when trying to reach your target audience.
A great way to stay ahead of the competition is by researching keywords with low keyword difficulty and high audience relevance. Keyword difficulty (KD) is an SEO metric that tells you how hard it is to rank for a certain search term. The lower the KD, the easier it will be to rank for that keyword.
However, you also want to make sure that the keyword is relevant to your audience’s pain points. If the keyword isn’t too competitive but also isn’t relevant, you won’t be able to effectively reach your target market.
Luckily, there are many tools available for measuring keyword relevance and difficulty (KD). Semrush, KWFinder, and Ahrefs are all excellent options that can provide detailed data and insights. Each tool has its advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your needs.
- Semrush is a comprehensive platform that offers a variety of features for keyword research, including a keyword difficulty tool. It also has a large database of keywords, making it a good choice for those looking to build a comprehensive list.
- KWFinder is another good option for keyword research, with a focus on helping users find long-tail keywords.
- Ahrefs is another excellent choice, offering several features for keyword analysis including a KD tool.
- Understand what kinds of questions users are asking.
Featured snippets typically appear in response to questions that begin with who, what, when, where, or how. As such, companies should focus on creating content that addresses these types of questions.
To ensure your content is eligible for a snippet, aim to make it informative and straightforward. Google typically chooses content for snippets that are organised into bullet points or numbered lists. So, if it makes sense for your content, try to provide a step-by-step answer. - Publish high-quality, original content regularly. Google loves fresh content, and the more frequently you publish new articles, the better your chances of being featured. Just make sure that each piece of content you publish is high-quality – otherwise, you’ll hurt your chances rather than help them.
- Use lists and tables. Featured snippets are often pulled from lists and tables, so including these in your content can help you earn a spot.
- Keep it short and sweet. Google prefers shorter answers because they’re easier for users to read and digest. So, when writing your content, try to keep your answers concise and to the point.
- Use images and videos. Including images and videos in your content can also help you earn featured snippets. This is because Google often pulls featured snippet results from websites that contain rich media such as images and videos.
- Use lists and tables. Featured snippets are often pulled from lists and tables, so including these in your content can help you earn a spot.
- Monitor your progress.
It’s important to monitor your progress to see if you’ve earned a featured snippet spot. You can do this by using Google Search Console or another similar tool. Simply enter some of the key phrases you optimised your content for into Google, and then check the “Search Results” page to see if you appear in any featured snippet spots.
Moreover, always remember to keep your end goals in mind: what do you want users to do once they click on your link? Will they be taken to a landing page? Will they be redirected to another website? What action do you want them to take? By thinking about these things, you can ensure that your efforts are helping you move closer to your desired outcome.
Keep in mind, however, that not all content is eligible for a snippet. If your content does not appear in a snippet, there is likely no cause for alarm; this doesn’t mean that your content is not ranking well in search results. Also, keep in mind that snippets are constantly changing as Google algorithms are updated. As long as your content remains informative and relevant, there’s a good chance it will be eligible for a snippet in the future.
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