5 Actionable Ways To Appear In Google’s Featured Snippet

1.   SearchNative India Pvt. Ltd.    5 Actionable Ways To  Appear In Google’s Featured  Snippet    To obtain the traffic from Google, you have to keep yourself updated with all the new Google algorithms and features. On an average, Google updates its algorithm 500 times a year.   1   

2.   So, if you’re running a business, you might not have enough time to keep yourself updated with these advanced Google features; and for that, you can hire and rely on your ​digital marketing agency​. But, if you’re an independent blogger/ website owner, you must keep your eye on every new feature Google brings too. This will help you to understand Google’s features better and ultimately will help you to rank better in the SERP. These days Google is way more than plain links. Google is showing every possible thing it can show on their search engine. Featured SNIPPETS are the first thing which people see while searching for any word or query on Google. According to SearchEngineLand study, nearly 30% Google results have featured snippets. Now, 30% search results are a huge number, right?   2   

3.   You must be wondering: But, why they are so popular? This is because SNIPPETS will give you answer to your questions in the way which is more convenient, fast and easy to read. Consider a scenario, this is where you will get the answer to your questions without clicking or going on any link! So, let us understand in detail what exactly is Google featured snippets. What Is A Google Featured Snippet?  You may know about featured snippet or not, but you’ve definitely seen it countless times while searching any information or answers to your questions on Google. The position given to a featured snippet in Google search results is above all the other search results. So, Internet marketers also refer to featured snippet as “Position Zero” ranked content. Let us understand it with an example. Let’s say, you search on Google “what is featured snippets”. And the results you will get are something like these.   3   

4.   The highlighted box in the above image is Google’s featured snippet and it is ranking on position zero. Featured snippets won’t just give you the answer containing paragraphs. But sometimes you will also see answers containing bullet points, numbered list, etc. It all depends on your search query.   4   

5.   Example: ​​Featured snippet containing bullet points. Just look at the space “featured snippet” takes up! …And you can understand why it is so much important to come in Google’s featured snippet. Even though you’re not ranking on no. 1 spot of Google, you can fetch a lot of traffic and visitors to your website/ blog via this feature. Here are a couple of advantages for ranking in the featured snippet of Google… They dominate the SERPs ● They will give you tons of exposure and traffic to your website ● Keeps you above the fold in Google search result ●   5   

6.   They will also boost your company’s credibility than any other method ● The best part? You don’t even have to pay anything extra to get into the featured snippet. Moreover, you don’t even have to rank on no. 1 spot of Google to get traffic. So, any company, irrespective of its size and budget can earn the position zero if they play the cards properly. But: Google has not revealed any exact formula to rank in a featured snippet and let’s say if you earn that position then it might not be forever. Google can replace your snippet with others, anytime they find the more suitable results than yours. So, the easiest way to come into a featured snippet is to produce the high quality & shareable content which attracts lots of natural links, and format it in such a way that Google loves it. If you’re into DIY, health or finance industry, you have better chances of ranking into featured snippets as compared to other industries. Moreover, Ahrefs found that search queries with below-mentioned keywords have better chances of getting featured, Best ● VS. ● Definition ● Recipe ●   6   

7.   Make ● Now, let us look at the ways to appear into Google’s featured snippet. 5 Tips For Ranking In Google Featured Snippet:  1. Use SEMrush Tool To Find Competitors  Snippet  SEMrush is one of the best SEO tools but did you know, you can also use it to find the featured snippets? You can find out for which keywords your competitors are getting featured snippets in Google. You can also find out for which search/ keyword you’re getting it. All you have to do is a simple domain search and then click on “Organic Research”, as shown in the below snapshot. Now simply click on the “featured snippet”, which you will find on the right-hand side.   7   

8.   You can also use the “advanced filter” option to exclude or include the particular keyword from the featured snippet. So, once you know the particular keywords for which your competitors are getting featured snippets. You can work on those keywords and optimize it to earn the same. Note:​​ SEMrush isn’t the only source to find out the featured snippets, Google is a great source too. 2. Use Google To Find Snippet Opportunities  Do you know the best way to find featured snippet for any keyword is by using Google? For that, you have to think like your audience. How will they search? What will they type on Google? What are they looking for? How will they ask the question?   8   

9.   First, try to understand this and analyze a bit, how your content will help them. So, Google will automatically put your content on position zero. Just, for instance, put yourself in their shoes, who don’t understand marketing really well and think like them. You will get tons of ideas and you can include those searches in your content. Now you will have higher chances of coming in Google featured snippet. Let us understand this with a small example. search for the query – What is CRO in marketing You will get this result. Here, for this search query, the featured snippet is in the form of a paragraph. But for your search term, you can get a list or series of steps.   9   

10.   That totally depends on the search query your audience is looking for. For this search query, I have got “People also ask” section. This is another great place to rank your content.   10   

11.   Moreover, you can also add these questions in your content, as they are recommended by Google itself and are searched more often. Note:​​ If you want to identify these questions before publishing your content. You can use ​Answer the Public​.   11   

12.   3. Find Content Ideas/ Questions/ Long Tail  Keywords On Answer The Public Website  90% of the featured snippets are questions. Looks like Google has created this feature for ​voice search users​. So, try to cover below-mentioned terms in your blog post. How ● What ● When ● Where ● Why ● Who ●   12   

13.   …And the best place to find all these questions for your keyword is “Answer the Public”. Just visit that site and enter the keyword for which you want suggestions. Let’s say you want suggestions for ​SEO​. Put in that keyword in the search box and you will receive tons of suggestions for SEO related topic. Now, from all the above angles, you can pick one up and write the high-quality content about it.   13   

14.   5. Add HQ Images And Videos  People love to read visually! That’s the fact. That’s why you must include high-quality images and videos in your blog post. Which will ultimately help you to rank in position zero? Consider adding images in every hard step of your blog post. As you can see in the above content I’ve added so many images to make this post very easy for you. Similarly, you have to do it for your readers as well. You can use Canva to create amazing images. It’s free.   14   

15.   It’s really an amazing tool and if you have zero knowledge of creating an image in the photoshop. You can consider using Canva. Moreover, you can embed YouTube videos in your blog post. Which will help people to understand the topic more deeply! If you’re uploading the videos on YouTube, don’t forget to add the transcript. Ultimately, YouTube also needs keywords to rank your videos. Finally, embed it in your blog post. So, people can spend more time on your blog. It’s that SIMPLE! Conclusion:  The featured snippet is one of the most important Google’s feature and you must update your content accordingly.   15   

16.   The best part is… featured snippets are ranking on position zero. So, if you’re already ranking on Google 1st page, you don’t have to worry about ranking on no. 1 position. Optimize your content by reading above mentioned 5 golden tips and rank your blog post in position zero. They are dominating the search queries and you got no reason for not trying to earn a featured snippet. Make sure you have the heading, subheadings, lists, steps, bullets, high-quality images and videos in your blog post. Try to write your entire blog post in answerable format. Write as you are answering the questions. So, you will have more chances of ranking for the same. Do you know any other tips (apart from above 5) to rank in featured snippets? Do let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this post with your social media friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.     16