It's worth knowing that even if your site isn't quite occupying the top search positions that doesn't mean you can't outrank it.  And what's the best way to do this? By claiming a featured snippet.  

What is a Featured Snippet?

A featured snippet is a block of text, or piece of content, that shows up at the top of an organic Google Search Engine Results Page, SERP, as an answer to the question that someone has typed in. That spot at the top is the search engine's prime real estate, in other words, the block everyone sees! Occupying that top spot is a sure-fire way to increase your click-through rate. It can be found at the very top of the page, above the first organic result, in a position which is also known as, “position 0.”  Normally Google will also include an image to go along with the answer although the sources for both don't have to be from the same place. These are incredibly beneficial to people who are searching for something as they are going to get an answer to what they're looking for at a quick glance. The way it works is that Google will programmatically pick the best answer for a third-party website and then feature that answer in a snippet. If you are able to land a spot as a snippet, it can generate a huge amount of exposure for your site, as you will be being shown before any organic results.  

Why Are Featured Snippets Important?

Featured Snippets are great for user experience as they quickly answer the searchers question, often without the need to even visit the web page.  Despite this, according to research by Search Engine Land, a Featured Snippet receives over 8% of all clicks. Featured snippets have been in place for a while and have grown to be very important lately. This is because they provide answers to search queries right on the SERP. This is great for users because it provides them with the answer they are looking for and it saves them from having to click on pages that may not have what they need. For businesses, this also provides a way to get their content seen by more people without having to do as much work themselves.  

What are the Different Types of Featured Snippets?

There are three types of featured snippets that you are most likely to see at the top of Google. These are:

1 Paragraph

Simple enough. It is a paragraph-type answer that will answer a question that usually begins with a ‘how' ‘who' ‘when' and ‘what'.

2 List

This is a type of snippet where the answer is presented as a numbered or bulleted list. This will mostly accompany questions that require some kind of step-by-step instruction as an answer.

3 Table

Table snippets are commonly seen for posts that require some kind of comparison chart. Google is good at presenting well-structured content surrounding prices, rates, years and other numerical data in this format.  

How Do You Optimise for Featured Snippets?

It's only likely that upon reading all of this information, you are now curious about how exactly you can boost yourself up to featured snippet position and reap the benefits of that increased visibility. Well, here are a few useful tips on exactly how you can appear in a featured snippet.

Do Keyword Research and Aim for Question-Type Search Queries

Keyword research is not only useful for featured snippets but is an incredibly valuable tool all round when it comes to your SEO Arsenal. You need to research the kind of questions that your target audience and customers ask and then answer that question on your website.

Look Up the Results in the “People also ask” Box

Yes, researching keywords is incredibly useful, but another good tip is to see what people are saying in the “people also ask” box. A lot of the time, this section will house another featured snippet, so it's a good idea to get to know these questions and answer them on your website as well.

When you Write for Your Site, Do So Using the Inverted Pyramid Style

The inverted Pyramid is a concept that a lot of different journalists and other writers of information use when they are structuring an article. It essentially means that you start off with the most awaited part of the piece, which is the answer, and then provide all of the content that builds up to it afterwards.

Use Words That Will Generate a Featured Snippet

Pay Attention to Formatting

If you revert back to previously in this article and make a note of the different formats that featured snippets can come in, you should ensure that when you are creating content on your website that could be used for a snippet, you are writing it in one of these complementary styles.

Aim to Rank on the First Page of Google

If you are ranking on the first page of Google then you are much more likely to be included in a featured snippet. This means that though featured snippets are a great way to increase your traffic, you should be striving to get one whilst attempting to improve your organic traffic.

Add a Q&A Page to Your Site

Adding a Question and Answer box is great because it will give you the chance to discuss questions your site visitors to your site but at the same time, they give you the opportunity to ask and answer the question you are trying to rank for yourself.  Ensure that the questions you are answering are providing the facts that people in your niche will be keen to know.  

Conclusion

The internet is one of the most effective marketing tools available to businesses and the best way to ensure that you have as much reach as possible on the internet is to increase the amount of traffic that comes to your site.  This can often feel like an uphill battle but a good way to get ahead quickly and deliver on your digital marketing strategy goals, is to attempt to rank in a featured snippet. There are many ways to attempt to rank, as stated above; however, this too can be quite a long process and does still require, ideally, your presence on the front page. Doing this whilst also attempting to actually run your business can be overwhelming and as such, it makes a lot of sense for you to hire an organisation who can assist with your rankings by creating a sleek SEO-friendly website. At Kinetic Jam, we pride ourselves on being able to create a website that works for you, both in terms of helping you rank and being a good site for your customers to use. If you would like to book a free consultation, then do not hesitate to get in touch.