Featured snippets are one of the best ways to attract organic traffic to your page. There is no secret that every SEO professional aim for featured snippets for their content. However, the power of your featured snippet is solely dependent on optimization and also your overall SEO performance. You can monitor the latter with a white label rank checker. Let’s have some tips that will help get your featured snippets on the top of the search rankings.
Add A “What Is” Heading
The first thing you need to know when it comes to optimizing your featured snippets is adding a “What is {Keyword}” heading tag. This informs Google that the upcoming text is going to be helpful. There are numerous examples of websites using the same strategy to get featured snippets.
Ideally, you would want the heading as close to the top of your content as possible. For instance, if you are writing a blog, the keyword will come exactly before the introductory paragraph. This allows you to set the flow of the content and gives the reader an idea of what they should be expecting in the article.
Use The ‘Is’ Sentence Structure
Next, when optimizing for featured snippets, you should make sure to use the “Is” sentence structure. The first paragraph should start with the keyword coupled with “is”. If you take a look at the featured snippets of your competitors, you will regularly see the same sentence structure.
This means the ‘is’ is a small yet important part of the equation. On the other hand, it also acts as a trigger button, allowing Google to easily find the relevant text for the featured snippet. By using this strategy, you will surely be able to improve your chances of getting a featured snippet whenever users search the internet for relevant answers.
Define The Topic In 2-3 Sentences
This is perhaps the most important tip you need to consider. Defining the topic the right way and in short sentences is key to getting a featured snippet. The reason is that users do not and cannot spend much time and effort looking for the answers they need.
If they find out they have to look for the answers in long paragraphs, they are most likely to turn around and leave. The reason featured snippets are important is that they give as much information about the topic as possible.
As a result, the topic should be well-defined in not more than 2-3 sentences. As a general rule of thumb, the first sentence should define the topic and the second should mention some must-know facts. Do not add fluff or bloat the sentences.
Understand Search Intent
One of the most important considerations while optimizing for featured snippets is understanding the search intent for different queries. Generally, there are three types of people on the internet i.e. potential customers, competitors, and influencers.
Each type will search for different types of content. Regardless of the type, the information provided must be helpful and relevant. Furthermore, you will also have to consider the type of answer the users are expecting.
For instance, if the user is asking whether consuming apple juice has benefits, they would like a yes or no answer. However, if they are comparing it with some other item, they will want a bit more detailed comparison explanation.
Search intent is an important search ranking factor as well. If you want know if your SEO strategy is working or not, check website ranking on Google.
Match The Featured Snippet Format
Matching the featured snippet format is equally important as the sentence structure. What this means is that if you want to get a featured snippet on a particular topic, you will need to search for it on the internet. If the results should be the format in paragraph form, you will need to add sentences.
However, if the format is in bulleted and numbered lists, you will need to add a similar list to the page’s content.
Never Use Your Brand Name In Featured Snippet Text
This is a common mistake made by website owners without being aware of the consequences. You might think that mentioning your brand name will market your business but that is not the case here. Devices such as Google Home directly read the content in the featured snippets to the users.
Featured snippets are solely fueled by voice search. This means the text in your featured snippet should make sense. For instance, if a user were to search for the health benefits of pineapple and you were to mention your brand name, the entire meaning of the content would change.
This will confuse the readers. While they were looking for general benefits, adding your brand name will make it appear as if only pineapples offered by you carry the health benefits. So, removing the brand name will improve the chances of you getting a featured snippet.
Don’t Use First-Person Language
Similar to the previous rule, using first-person language will only create confusion for the readers. If you were to use ‘We’ in your featured snippet content, the reader will find it confusing as if only the products offered by your business are tested and possess the benefits.
Imagine the users hearing the word ‘We’ every time they are going through the content. They might think, who is the “we” that is being referenced? This might sound like the information is specific to a product or a type rather than the product in general.
So, reducing the number of times using such phrases will help you receive more featured snippets.
Create Content Better Than The Competition’s
Creating content better than the competition’s helps you pop up in the search results more often. The only way to create better content is to keep yourself updated with the latest information and innovations and update your content accordingly.
At the same time, you should also try to find out the sources of your competitors so that you can become aware of important news on a timely basis. Keep in mind that everything needs to be relevant and you should try to share as many sources and statistics as possible.
Users are most likely to follow and return if the content is backed by proper sources and statistics. As a result, your featured snippets will keep on increasing without you having to put in extra effort.
Organize Your Content For Readers And Search Engines
Organizing your content for readers and search engines is necessary for the readers and search engines. The last thing users want is to navigate through an article to never find the answer they were looking for just because the content was not structured properly.
For instance, if a user wants to read the health benefits of apples, they should be mentioned at the top of the page instead of at the bottom. More importantly, search engines can read and present your content as featured snippets more easily if the content is properly organized. This. in return, will help you achieve more featured snippets down the road.
Conclusion
Optimizing for featured snippets requires consistent effort and time. In addition to the tips mentioned above, you should also look around for new strategies and try to implement them to better your content and keep track of the performance by viewing your SEO rank report. Such efforts will not only help your content but also the website to stand out.
