All About Featured Snippets

Google has changed a lot since it first launched. While ranking in organic search results is still very important, many other aspects of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) have become valuable places to snag extra search traffic. This post will cover featured snippets, how they can drive traffic to your site, and how you can rank for them.

What are Featured Snippets?

Featured snippets, called “answer boxes,” are featured above organic search results right below paid ads. Featured snippets are meant to answer a user’s search query right away without the user having to navigate to another page from the SERP. The example below was returned for “West Covina whole house repipe cost.”

These featured snippets are a great place to build brand exposure because the URL of the page from which the answer is always featured below the snippet. In the case of the featured snippet above, the user’s search query has already been answered. Still, this particular plumbing company’s name now holds a precious and high visibility area in search results. Moz states can increase traffic by 20-30%.

How to get Featured Snippets

Now that we know featured snippets, let us focus on how you can get your pages to rank there.

1. Answer questions concisely – Most featured snippets have a maximum limit of 97 words. In addition, Google prefers that the question be answered in a single paragraph. Organizing your content with these rules in mind can make Google appreciate your answer and raise the possibility of them becoming featured snippets.
2. Write content that answers many similar questions – Once a page is featured, it will likely be featured for identical queries. Answering similar questions on the same page can catch many more users than hyper-specific pages and drive more traffic to your site.
3. Include eye-grabbing images in your content – Including relevant media content is already excellent on-page SEO practice but is even more critical when dealing with featured snippets. The featured snippet occasionally includes page images, as in the example below. They can provide a more eye-catching and traffic-grabbing snippet over a snippet without an image.
4. Update content and re-upload images – Google likes to see that a page is active, so updating content regularly on older pages is a great way to show Google that you are working on a page. WordPress also adds dates to image URLs, so re-uploading your images occasionally can keep them from seeming outdated to search engines.

Consult a Professional SEO Company if you Need Help.

With these tools under yHelpbelt, you’ll have some great starting points for getting featured snippets on Google. Suppose all of this seems like too much work to run your business. A professional SEO company, like us here at Contractor Advertising, can manage your site and pages in that case. Your site must be evident in Google SERPs to stay competitive in today’s digital age. Don’t overlook this aspect of your marketing strategy. So, what are you waiting for? Contact the SEO experts at Contractor Advertising today.

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