One of the ways to boost your SEO and, at the same time, optimize Content Marketing strategies and materials, is through featured snippets.
If this term is unfamiliar to you or you don't know how to get the answer boxes yet, don't worry! In this article you will find the most important aspects on this topic, specifically:
- What are featured snippets? Why are they important in SEO? Advantages of having a featured snippet What are the techniques to conquer it?
So are you ready to learn all this? If your answer is "yes", take a look at the rest of the article!
What are featured snippets?
In Spanish, this concept is called outstanding fragments and also answer boxes.
From the point of view of search engine optimization, featured snippets are the holy grail.
And it is that they are direct responses from the search engine after a certain query, logically through a keyword.
This means that featured snippets go far beyond an organic top position.
Basically, achieving this reflects that Google identified, through its intuitiveness and algorithms, that your content or page is exactly what the user was looking for.
Can you ask for more of SEO strategies and processes? Without a doubt, the answer boxes are a strong synonym that the work is being done very well.
If you want to know how a featured snippet is identified, it is very simple: in addition to being in the first position, it has a much larger box than the other results.
Among other things, this allows users to interact with much of the content without even having to enter the page.
Why are they important in SEO?
The importance of featured snippet lies in their optimization of SEO results and, at the same time, they are the result itself.
What does this mean? Basically, the highlighted fragments must be one of the main objectives of any strategy and, also, they are a vehicle to achieve other goals, related to exposure and digital authority.
In general, achieving featured snippet will contribute to the strengthening of organic positioning, which is the major goal of SEO.
This translates to increased traffic and increased CTR, that is, the number of clicks a link gets regarding your impressions.
In addition, we can evaluate featured snippets as metrics that allow us to evaluate the quality of our SEO strategies and content.
And it is that Google only selects as a highlighted fragment to publications that are among the best positioned results.
Due to this, constantly appearing in the first places, but not having any featured snippet, reflects that even your SEO and content marketing strategy has much to improve.
Specifically, it means that you are not being wise enough with the distribution of the keywords and the structure of the materials, as they may not respond to the specific questions and requests of Internet users.
Of course, by this we do not mean that all your posts will become featured snippets, as the competitiveness is very high, but you should periodically reach them if you want to get really great results.
What are the advantages of having a featured snippet?
Well! You already know what featured snippets are about and how important they are for search engine optimization.
However, once a featured snippet is achieved, what are the specific benefits? We haven't explained that to you!
Having said that, below we will mention 4 of the advantages that you will enjoy when converting one of your publications into Google answer boxes.
1. Increased visibility
One of the great advantages of obtaining a featured snippet is that you will increase your visibility in Google's SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
This is because you will occupy 2 positions in the results list: the one in the answer box and the original location.
This double exposure will increase the chance that the publication or content will reach a wide audience, and a significant portion of it could become leads and then customers.
2. Increased credibility
There is an aspect that goes far beyond digital authority: credibility itself.
If users associate your brand with values such as excellence, professionalism, competitiveness and modernity, the business will be much more profitable and sustainable.
Precisely, this is another benefit that you will get by achieving featured snippets.
The featured snippets will increase confidence in your brand, because if the intuitive and famous Google gives it priority, it means that it is an excellent alternative for consumption and interaction.
3. Maximum competitiveness without costs
Many times small brands consider that it is impossible to compete with large corporations and transnational corporations.
The differences in capital, volume of inventories and workers, among other things, make their managers and owners think that the background is intended for them.
However, this belief is far from reality, especially when we talk about search engines like Google.
And it is that to achieve featured snippets you will not need your brand to have great recognition and consolidation.
With the proper SEO techniques and words you will be able to overcome gigantic pages and brands, which seem unbeatable at first glance, but in reality are not. ´
4. Increase in organic traffic
When it comes to Content Marketing, one of the main aspects is organic traffic.
For this strategy, the important thing is to attract Internet users through information and materials of interest, leaving out misleading messages and old persuasion techniques.
Luckily, when you get a featured snippet, you will get it, because the possibilities of clicks will increase significantly.
Best of all, you will have the opportunity to increase organic traffic without being consolidated within the top 3 of Google.
What are the techniques to conquer featured snippets?
To close this interesting reading we will explain what needs to be done to achieve featured snippets.
From the beginning we will tell you that it is not a simple task, that you will achieve by «inertia» or chance, but it is possible to accomplish it.
How? Following these 4 tips:
1. Use lists
Since its inception, web content has been characterized by being much more scannable and fresh than traditional.
For this reason, a common practice, and which also helps to reach outstanding fragments, is the use of lists, so take them into account!
For example, if someone uses the keyword "best design applications" and, precisely, in one of your publications you listed several of them, that fragment could become a Google answer box.
As for the lists, try to have more than 8 items, since in this way Google will not be able to show them in full in the featured snippets and, consequently, the user will be motivated to click.
2. Analyze the contents of your blog
Did you know that it is possible to edit or update existing content to try to reach a featured snippet?
To do this you will have to use different metrics, which will allow you to know how Google evaluates it. Bounce rate, time on site and CTR are some of them.
If you notice that in some of these indicators you have a percentage or negative score, analyze what is the reason and correct the problem. If you do, and you also make specific changes in terms of structure and placement of keywords, the content may become a response box.
3. Use tables
Tables, like lists, are very useful when you want to reach featured snippets to boost SEO.
Always keep in mind that today's Internet user is characterized by focusing his attention on visual elements that synthesize important information, and Google understands this very well!
For this reason, using tables will help the search engine place your content in the answer box and, consequently, have great visibility.
4. Use concrete questions and answers
Another of Google's criteria for selecting featured snippets is precision, as it ensures that users' concerns are resolved.
For this reason, using specific questions and answers in a row can help you reach an outstanding fragment.
And ready! These are 4 of the tips you must follow to optimize your SEO and content strategy through obtaining featured snippets.
If you understood what this valuable aspect of search engine optimization is all about, what are you waiting for? Try placing your materials in Google's answer boxes.
Remember that, as we mentioned earlier, to achieve this you need to use specific techniques and structures, so it is worth asking the help of experts in Digital Marketing and, specifically, Content.
Did you find this reading interesting? If after interacting with her you had any concerns or simply want to share your opinion with the rest of our community, don't forget to leave us a comment!
