Till now, bloggers have been trying to rank for 1 to 10 positions.
This has changed since Google started showing featured snippets in search result position # 0.
A Google featured snippet is a box with a precise answer that shows at the top of search engine result page.
Keep in mind that Google search snippet and a featured snippet are two different things.
These are search snippets:
This is a featured snippet:
In this guide, you will learn everything there is to know about Google featured snippets including its:
User experience is the topmost priority of the Google search engine.
It’s a great experience when a user finds:
Google featured snippet fulfills all three requirements.
When you help Google provide the best of user experience, you are more likely to gain its trust. A trusted website has higher domain authority and SERP ranking.
These Google search results in boxes appear at the top of the page. It catches more attention than other results. Most searchers don’t proceed without reading your answer first.
If you can manage to provide a valuable and accurate answer, the searcher is more likely to visit your website. But also make sure you are not making any of these SEO mistakes.
Google shows a ‘People Also Ask For’ section when users search a query.
This section contains questions with precise answers that are relevant to the searched query. In my personal experience, I found them useful most of the time.
This portion is just like the a featured snippet. It shows an answer without the searcher having to visit a website.
If he finds the answer useful and wants to know more only then he has to visit the site.
This leaves no other choice for bloggers but to create accurate and valuable content in an easily understandable structure.
Yes! But, not much.
One thing without a doubt, it gives you more EXPOSURE.
According to a study of Ahref, featured snippets get around 8.6% of all clicks.
A reader will perform one of three actions after seeing a featured snippet.
The first case happens when Google fails to identify the right answer for the query.
In the second case, you may not get a visitor but you do gain more exposure.
The third is the ideal case as your answer was so enticing that the reader was interested to learn more.
These Google results in boxes are not selected randomly.
Google algorithm tries to understand the query and its relevance with a portion of your page.
These algorithms are not perfect but very smart. Google also keeps updating these algorithms. A blogger should know how to deal with these ever-changing algorithms.
These smart algorithms manage to fetch a precise answer almost every time.
There are several types of featured snippets and algorithm work differently with each.
Almost all featured snippets are selected from the top 10 results.
If you want to get on position 0 with a featured snippet, then you must rank among top 10 results.
Google itself selects the suitable part of the content to use in featured snippets. But, you can help it identify the right answer.
You have to structure your content according to the schema markup Google.
Schema markups provide data about parts of your page.
This makes it easy for Google to understand what part precisely answers a query.
Google voice search is predicted to be the future of the web. More than 20% of Google queries are voice searches.
A voice search result reads only the featured snippet for the searchers.
Without featured snippets, you will lose those 20% searchers.
Most Google featured snippets and voice searches are triggered by long tail keywords.
Long tail keywords are very specific queries searched by the user. A long tail keyword comprises at least 3 words.
A specific query gets a precise answer.
Long tail keywords have low search volume, but their use is increasing with time. According to a study by Rand Fishkin of Moz, 70% of all web searches are long tail keywords.
Use of long tail keywords specifies your target audience and decreases the bounce rate of your website.
Most voice searches are also long queries.
Because of low search volume, long tail keywords also have little competition. It increases your chance of ranking in top search results, and you also become a more suitable candidate for a featured snippet.
You need to understand all types of featured snippets to target them. You will have to plan and structure your content according to the requirements of Google featured snippets.
Google shows featured snippets in different forms.
The type of featured snippet depends on the query. If a list best describes the answer, then Google will show a snippet in the form of list.
If a query can be answered in more than one forms, Google will select the best and most precise solution from one of the top 10 results.
All Google featured snippets can be divided into the following categories.
Paragraphs are a generic way of answering a query. That’s why they are the most common type of a featured snippet.
More than 80% of Google featured snippets answer in the form of a paragraph.
Paragraph Featured Snippet
Google extracts a portion of a paragraph from your page and shows it on position 0.
A paragraph snippets may also show a relevant image with the paragraph.
Paragraph Featured Snippet with an Image
You will get a click-through only if your paragraph is relevant.
But, you also have to consider the case when the reader might read the answer and leave.
To get a better click-through rate from Google featured snippet, provide a concise answer in the first line. Add additional information in the next lines to generate curiosity.
Make sure you have optimized your landing page for visitors when you get a click-through on your result. Otherwise, they will leave without spending enough time on your page.
A list precisely answers a question in a form that is easy to understand. You should also use lists in your content instead of the repetitive use of coma.
There are two types of lists.
Ordered list in a Google featured snippet usually represents a step by step process.
Numbered Google Featured Snippet
Unordered lists have a bullet instead of numbers. These list items are called unordered because their arrangement doesn’t make any difference.
Bulleted Featured Snippet
Google creates listed featured snippet in two ways.
List snippets may also show an image with the list if there is a relevant image in your content – both of the above-shared list snippets had an image that Google found relevant.
Tables provide a bulk of information in the easiest form.
They are attractive and user-friendly. So, of course, Google will do its best to provide the most accurate table search result.
It doesn’t pick an entire 
-built table from a page. It may take a part of a table or show a combination of two tables.
Google would represent data in the form of the table even if there were no table on the source page. It fetches lists to create a table.
Above shared image of Google featured snippet table is part of a table.
YouTube has millions of videos that cover every niche.
There is a YouTube video for almost every keyword. It is easier to understand a video compared to text.
One of the most accurate Google featured snippets are short videos.
It shows a video at position 0 with its relevant part marked. When you click the video, it starts from the section where the YouTuber started answering your query.
For example, it’s a 3-minute video in the following featured snippet. But, it precisely answers the query in 43 seconds starting from 1:21.
YouTube Video Featured Snippet
Videos also stand in competition with blog articles. YouTube title and meta description play an important role in it’s ranking.
Sometimes Google even pulls data from the description of a YouTube video to use as featured snippet because it was most relevant to the query.
It is a rare case as Google prefers a complete written article over the short description of a video.
YouTube Description Snippet
The main goal of Google featured snippet is to provide an excellent user experience. It has no obligation to use data only from one website to increase its traffic.
Google sometimes extracts text from one source and image from another source to provide the best answer.
Below image of a search result is an example.
Featured Snippet from Two Sources
If you notice, the text has been extracted from theblogstarter.com and image from shoutmeloud.com.
If one of them could provide the best of both, Google would have preferred it.
You have to optimize your pages and content for featured snippets. Here are a few practices you can follow:
Rich snippets are search snippets with additional information. This additional information may include recipes, events, or reviews.
A Rich Snippets
Google featured Snippet is a result that shows on top at position 0 with an answer to a query.
A Featured Snippet
Knowledge graphs are different from featured snippets. A featured snippet is a search result that shows an answer and its source.
A knowledge graph is Google’s own knowledge base in which it collects data from various sources and it doesn’t show their links. It is usually seen at the top as a carousel or in a box at the right side of the page.
An Example of Knowledge Graph
It may never change if it provides a perfect answer. Ahref researched to find an accurate answer.
According to their results, over a period of 4 months:
Conclusion:
Google featured snippets provide a to the point solution.
Users love featured snippets, Google loves them too, and so should you.
These featured snippets in search give your website more exposure and increase your traffic.
It has various types that are triggered according to the type of question.
You should prepare your website for featured snippets by using long tail keywords and schema markup. It will also optimize your website for Google voice search.
There is still a lot to learn about featured snippets. Share your experience with us.
Do any of your pages have featured snippets? How was it featured?
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