As with anything digital, search engines have come a long way since their launch decades before. Google Search, the most popular search engine with over 85% market share worldwide, constantly updates its algorithm to deliver user convenience and value. Several times a year, Google makes significant changes in its systems to present more authoritative and relevant results to searchers.
One of Google’s latest updates in 2022 is its Featured Snippet feature. In January, Google announced that a webpage appearing as a Featured Snippet will no longer appear on the first results page a second time. Before this change, featured webpages may also appear in the top three results following the Snippet.
The update caused a reaction among digital marketers and companies on whether they should still opt for the Featured Snippet position. But many SEO experts advised against opting out of Featured Snippets.
The Featured Snippet takes up a large part of search results and is the first thing searchers see after entering their queries. Being featured labels the brand’s content as authoritative and high quality. Opting out of the featured snippet strategy would mean losing this favorable position that is open to a wider audience.
What is Featured Snippet?
A Featured Snippet is a way for brands to get noticed on search engine results pages (SERPs). It appears at the “position zero” or top of the Google SERP in the form of a descriptive text, table, list, or video. Simply, a Featured Snippet is a descriptive box that shows immediately viewable information based on the search query.
The Snippet helps the user to quickly discover the information they need without having to scroll. The searcher can click on the highlighted Snippet’s link if they want to learn more about the subject.
Text is the most prevalent Featured Snippet on Google, accounting for around 82% of all snippets. This result is most common when searching for “what,” “who,” “when,” or “why” questions. Google usually displays the complete text result in bold letters and the textual or paragraph form of the term.
Another snippet that Google Search features are videos. Search phrases that begin with “how to” queries typically yield video clips. The videos are mostly taken from YouTube. It often has a ready-to-play time stamp that begins at a certain point in the video that is relevant to the search.
Listicle Featured Results is another form of Featured snippets. These results are used to rank items, provide ways to get items or show lists of search queries. They are displayed to offer a quick and straightforward answer without requiring the reader to read lengthy paragraphs.
For comparison inquiries, Google also shows tables as highlighted snippets. The algorithm collects data from websites’ current content and displays it in a tabular fashion. Examples of searches that display tabular Featured Snippets include prices on a menu, sizes of apparel offered at a store, and a comparison of revenues.
Why is Featured Snippet Important in a Company’s SEO?
Featured Snippet is appealing since it occupies desirable real estate in the Google SERP. Getting on the Featured Snippet gives the brand strong impressions and a better chance of receiving clicks, driving traffic to the website.
The results displayed as Featured Snippet is an extract taken from a Google indexed webpage. And because the content from these chosen websites appears on top of the SERPs, they have higher chances of getting clicks.
The highlighted Snippet is crucial for marketers and SEO managers since it draws the user’s attention to the brand. They are also purely organic, so the company does not need to pay to be featured.
Moreover, snippets appear for different kinds of queries, including long-tail and voice searches. In recent years, Moz observed an increase in the number of words in a search that displays a Featured Snippet. Natural-sounding keywords that are commonly used for voice searches, like “how” followed by “does,” “is,” “much,” or “to,” are also showing more Featured Snippets. This implies that companies now have more ways and chances to be featured and get exposure.
How to Optimize Your Website for Featured Snippet?
Various research has revealed that long-tail keywords generate the bulk of highlighted snippets. In fact, the more terms entered into a search box, the more likely it is that a featured snippet will appear.
Research question-type keywords, like terms that include “what,” “why,” and “how.” Also, explore key phrases with an informative intent. While highlighted snippets seek to instantly answer the user’s inquiry, question-type inquiries aren’t the only ones that trigger them. Marketers can also utilize a keyword research tool that displays whether a query produces featured snippets.
Determine which keywords the brand already scores well for. The content for these keywords will be the easiest to optimize for the Snippet. The Google Search Console can help by displaying which search terms result in clicks. The filters can then be used to locate certain question-type inquiries among them.
Make sure that the content also answers similar questions. Once a page is featured, it is likely to appear in a number of comparable searches. This implies it should be organized and phrased in such a way that it answers a variety of relevant queries.
Conclusion
The Google Search environment is ever-changing. Every year, it releases algorithm modifications, ranging from small adjustments that target individual search components to large fundamental updates. Businesses must be ready for these changes to succeed in their digital marketing strategies. They must keep their web assets in good condition at all times and quickly adapt when changes occur.
References:
https://moz.com/learn/seo/featured-snippets-essentials
https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/featured-snippets
https://growbydata.com/google-featured-snippets/
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.