Since its introduction, Google’s featured snippets are popular to provide direct answers. For obvious reasons, Google search’s featured listing means enhanced visibility, credibility, and qualified website traffic.
Nevertheless, since its introduction, this little descriptive featured snippet box is being updated more frequently by Google. You can notice featured snippets for a variety of search queries. Google regularly updates its algorithms, with a persistent goal to quickly revert to a user’s query. And featured snippets certainly enable the search giant to accomplish this goal.
What are the featured snippets?
Let’s quickly recall the featured snippet’s definition.
A featured snippet is the quoted piece of information shown in a descriptive box on the Google search page. Its order of appearance is different from other search results. Contrasting to the usual search results display, a featured snippet display arrangement follows images, the snippet text, webpage URL, and title.
What are the benefits of the featured snippets?
Validates User Intention
A featured snippet accompanied by images or video thumbnails enables the user to understand and verify if the results are as per his interest or not.
For example, a study by Nielsen Norman Group found. With an intention to search for The Copperheads — an American political faction from the Civil War era. A user searched copperhead on Google.
On seeing the image of a snake in the featured text, the user quickly recognized the wrong results set. She adds ‘s’ to the word copperhead and search’s again.
And yes, this time the results match with her real intention.
Highlighted Result
The featured listing is a designer entry amongst the plain-looking search results. Decorated inside a special box with a unique information structure, these results certainly direct the user’s attention towards them.
Quick and Direct Answer
Google introduced featured snippets to provide answers directly to the user’s questions.
In fact, a featured snippet does provide direct answers. Ultimately the users are satisfied by the search results.
It happens that the user never visits the web page the excerpt is taken from. The obvious reason is he already gets the information he looked for.
* When optimizing for featured snippets, make your content copy informative and compelling to make the users visit your webpage.
What are the chances to get a featured snippet?
A featured snippet is automatically created. It is purely based on artificial intelligence.
High-quality content and first-page position are two factors that boost the chances to get selected for a featured snippet by Google.
Backlinks and user experience certainly enhance the chance of longevity to stay or hold the tempting rank position.
According to Ahref, 99.58% of featured pages are fetched from the top ten search results.
Can a page be marked for the featured snippets?
No, it totally depends on Google systems to generate a direct answer box for any listing from its search database. Generally, a highlighted position is granted to the most relevant and updated content webpage.
What types of search queries get highlighted?
Google generates featured snippets for a variety of search queries. Whether it’s transactional, informational or navigational, Google may return a featured listing for it.
Let’s check
Transactional Query Example: apple iPad pro price
Informational Query Example: why do clouds float in the sky?
Navigational Query Example: semrush tool overview
A recent study of 2 million keywords by Ahref shows different types of queries that generate the direct answer listing.
How long can a webpage stay at the featured position?
Nobody can assure the frequency of change in the succinct snippet position.
However, various studies show that more than 50% of highlighted URLs remain constant for an average of four months.
Can I stop Google from highlighting my page?
Yes, it is possible. Google does care for your concerns. And it offers various ways to help you control your search results.
However, it is not a good idea to opt-out for the direct answer box. An experiment by Moz confirms 12% decline in website traffic after opting out of featured snippet.
How to make to the direct answer box of Google?
As it is an automated Google process. None can guarantee the acquisition. However, following the tips below you will certainly enhance your chances.
- Provide DIRECT ANSWERS in your Content For USER. The way to direct answer’s box of Google is producing great and awesome content, which provides a great user experience.
I have shared the featured snippets optimization guide earlier.
- Leverage your EXISTING CONTENT by updating it.
Updating your content regularly helps you moving ahead in the SERPs. You must not only update your content for Google but also to demonstrate your knowledge, expertise, and awareness, and of-course to gain new and retain the old audience.
We all know the fact that nothing in life remains constant except the change. Similarly, SEO methods and trends keep changing according to the latest Google algorithm updates.
Search Engine industry has come a long way. Ten years back what content was useful for users is a waste today. The thin content presence on a website degrades its quality. And your fresh content may not always rank in top position.
To improve search engine rankings and to get rid of thin content, updating it with the latest information is the best idea.
Hubspot dramatically increased its organic search views just by updating its old content.
Here is the result of updating one of our client’s blog. We saw a dramatic increase in the organic page views.
Direct Answer Box Historical Advantage
Earlier a direct box listing generated duplicated results in SERP. That means a website was listed at two positions in the GSP.
It was a direct win to grab the top position, which otherwise is a very competitive task.
The benefit of scoring two positions in GSP is history now. As Google introduced featured snippet de duplication in January 2020.
Google will remove any duplicate results for the same webpage if it once gets positioned in the direct answer box.
Latest Advantage of Featured Snippet
Google has always focused to update its search algorithms to provide the best user experiences.
The latest update that can be noticed in the direct answer box section is the inclusion of several web pages in the form of drop-down results.
For example: When I searched finance reports, Google returned this
Clicking on the section “Types” it shows:
Similarly, for different sections the results were extracted from different web URLs’.
So, now Google will offer zero position to more than one URL.
Nothing can be forecasted in terms of CTR but yes it is definitely going to benefit in terms of SEO and brand building.
Conclusions:
A direct answer box is a sure shot to enhance brand visibility and recognition.
Skyscraper’s technique to update your content may fetch you zero position in GSP.
Content creation and updating should be made a regular habit. Sometimes when it is not possible to create new piece of content, updating your older content may generate good results.
Change is the only constant.
About the Author: Bhumika Goel
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