We all hear terms like search engine optimization (SEO), data analytics, and featured snippets, but when you’re just trying to get some of your writing published on your blog, do they really matter that much? Well, the answer lies within your intentions of publishing the writing.
Are you just looking for a place to digitally retain your thoughts or ideas? Or are you actively trying to reach a large audience of people and have a concrete marketing strategy? If the latter, then search engine optimization, featured snippet optimization, and analytics should be of great importance to you. In this article, we’ll look at the ways that you can take your featured snippets and optimize them for a higher place on Google’s search engine results page (SERP).
What Is a Featured Snippet?
According to Google, “Featured snippets are special boxes where the format of a regular search result is reversed, showing the descriptive snippet first.” When you enter your search criteria into the search bar on Google’s website, often, your results will show a specialized box containing a snippet of information above the rest of the search results. This snippet is considered to be a “featured” snippet and can help increase visibility and drive traffic to your website over the traditional results that come up in Google’s search engine results pages.
What Types of Featured Snippets Are There?
There are four main types of featured snippets that you can focus on while aiming for better optimization. It’s important to understand the different types to better optimize your snippets.
1. Paragraph Featured Snippets
According to Search Engine Journal, “Seventy percent of featured snippets are the paragraph type, with an average of around 42 words and 250 characters.” This type of snippet will use question words, such as “What” and “Why” at the beginning of the entry, and this allows searchers to know that they are mostly of an informational nature.
2. Listicle Featured Snippets
The listicle featured snippet makes up about a fifth of all the featured snippets. The containing box will, on average, list 6 items and about 44 words. There are two main kinds of results within this type, including ordered and unordered lists. The keyword search associated with this featured snippet is usually a “Why” or “How” term.
3. Table Featured Snippets
Just over 6 percent of featured snippets come through the search results in table format. They display with 2 columns, with an average of 5 rows, and anywhere between 40 to 45 words.
4. Video Featured Snippets
Only about 5 percent of featured snippets are videos, with snippets being about 6.5 minutes long. If your audience is more prone to consume video content, then you can optimize your content in a video format to get your snippets featured more quickly.
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Prepare Your Featured Snippets Optimization
1. Choose Your Words Wisely
First, look at the word choices you’re using in titles and in headlines. Formatting your phrasing a bit can increase the optimization of your work. For instance, using “What,” “Why,” and “How” as key terms will get you featured snippets faster.
2. Use HTML Table Tags
For featured snippets that can be done up in a visual capacity, instead of putting together a graphic for a table, optimize by going into the HTML and using the table tags. This will help you get your content featured more quickly. Include a quality image on every page, as that will help lead to your content being featured.
3. Get Inspired
Look at the featured snippets of your competitors. “Stealing” their featured snippets isn’t easy, but you can put their URL in an engine and look for the keyword groups that have their snippets featured. You can export that information and further categorize it into different types of featured snippets. It’s best to do this in order from higher to lower search volume and then gather them so you can start your planning. Be sure to add the content topics and which type of featured snippet you’re using into your calendar for all your planned optimization. Then write quality content that fits the purpose even better than your competitor’s content.
4. Pay Attention to User Intent
This is one of the most important things you can do to optimize your content for featured snippets, and it’s probably one of the least discussed. It’s vital to understand the intent of the person running the searches. There are usually three types of people who will be searching for the keywords you provide, and they include your competitors, customers, and influencers who are convincing potential customers of what to buy. You want to write your keywords for both the customer and influencers.
5. Post the Best
Write better content than your competitors. Once you see their keywords, topics, and the type of featured snippets they have, the best thing you can do is both update the current content you have already online and create better content than what your competitors have. Keep in mind that the internet is always changing and updating, and someone’s content is appearing as a featured snippet on a search engine results page. Why shouldn’t it be yours?
While your goal to reach more potential customers through engaging and enticing content is great, there are a handful of optimization techniques that can be used to increase the visibility of your message and get you the increased traffic you desire so you can convert readers into buyers. Digital Marketing Group is a leader in the blogging and marketing industry and is here to help you design a content strategy that works for you.
Working with us will not only give your content better search engine optimization, but our team will be there working with you in the long run. See your content thrive online and allow our expertise to be the game-changer for your business. Contact us today for an initial meeting and allow us to help you be number one in your industry.
