9 Tips for Ranking in Google’s Featured Snippets - Part 1

  • 4 years ago
Obtaining traffic from Google means that you’ve got to keep up with all of Google’s features all of the time.
If you haven’t noticed, Google constantly changes their features.
And you’ve got to know exactly how they work so that you can rank for them.
You also have to keep an eye on competitors.
Google results are now full of so much more than just plain links. Featured snippets are the first thing that most people see when searching for a word or phrase.
They’re also becoming more and more popular each year. Just look at how many posts had featured snippets in 2016 compared to 2014:

It’s a huge difference, right? But why are they so popular?
It’s because they give answers to the questions people are searching for in a way that’s convenient, quick, and easy to read. You don’t have to click through anything to find what you’re looking for.
They aren’t just helpful for the average person though. Featured snippets give marketers a chance to beat competitors, boost conversions, and drive traffic right to their site.
HubSpot research has shown that content with a featured snippet gets a 2X higher click-through rate.
Those results are huge.
But what exactly are Google featured snippets? And how can you optimize your content to rank for them?
What is a Google featured snippet?
Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably seen countless featured snippets from Google when searching for information or answers to your questions.
We often refer to the position that featured snippets give to content as “position zero.”
This is because featured snippets take up the most space on a search results page. They’re usually at the very top of the page, too.
For instance, say that you’re searching for “How to lay tile.”
Google will answer your question with a snippet containing information about your question above all of the other links on the search results.
Google usually pulls them right from the content that’s already ranking on page one, but it can also pull from lower ranking SERPs.
These featured snippets make finding answers easier than ever before because you don’t have to click anything to view the information.
Here’s an example of what featured snippets look like:
They can contain numbered lists, bullet points, and more. They can answer your search questions with a brief paragraph, too.

Ranking for a featured snippet is so much more helpful and effective for driving visitors to your site than ranking for #1.
Just look at how much space a featured snippet takes up!
They dominate the SERPs, give you tons of exposure, and keep your website far above the fold. Plus, they’ll boost your company’s credibility quicker than any other method.
And you don’t necessarily have to pay any extra advertising fees to rank for them.
You don’t have to be number one in your industry, either.
Any company, regardless of its size or budget, can earn a spot at position zero if they play their cards right.
But there’s no exact formula for earning a featured snippet. And if you ear

Recommended