Why You Need To Aim For Featured Snippets

According to a recent news article by theSEMPost, you don't have to be on Page One to get your blog/page into a featured snippet. It was believed that you needed to be on page one in SERPs to have any hope of being in a featured snippet but there's evidence that Google has been pulling answers from page two as well. If this is true, then it means you have a greater chance of getting featured even if you've not made it onto the first page yet. 

theSEMPost's Jennifer Sleg has suggested that if a page is being pulled from page two into a featured snippet, it could suggest that the page will soon move to a higher ranking position. 

That could be true but it could also be suggesting that Google will feature content that meets its 'feature requirements' so it doesn't matter what page it's ranking organically. 

As Google is working towards creating a search engine that provides helpful information for searchers, it will naturally feature content that provides instant answers.  

It's important to think about featured snippets whenever writing content. The way you write your blogs and page content should be structured to help Google grab easy answers for searchers.

There are plenty of reasons why you should aim for the featured answer boxes. 

1. Higher Organic Traffic

If organically your web page or blog post is in position 7 or 8, you're not going to get as much traffic as the other sites that are positioned further up the SERP. Number one position gets 33% of search traffic so getting featured puts you right at the very top, above the organic positions. 

Organic traffic from one of our blog posts that was in a featured snippet from April.

This means you get to enjoy all the benefits of being top position along with more.  

2. More People Click On Featured Snippets

Being featured means you get higher organic traffic and a higher advantage over other results because the featured result is bigger.

The snippet is more eye-catching and because it offers a direct answer, people are more tempted to click on that rather than scroll down to other search results. 

3. Being Featured Gives Your Voice Authority

If your blogs are being pulled into the featured box, from the searcher's point of view, they will think you're an authority on the subject.  

Seeing these sandwich tips in a feature box suggests Google has found the best advice on the subject. This encourages people to click and read more. It also encourages people to come back to foodnetwork.com directly when they want more sandwich advice.

If you're using an inbound marketing strategy then getting your blog posts and web pages into featured boxes is great for marketing. It shows you're an authority in the subject and people will more likely come and visit your site directly. This can help you guide people along the buyer's journey faster. 

How To Get Into The Featured Snippets

There is quite a lot of advice out there when it comes to getting your content into featured snippets. The problem is, there are many factors you need to consider when it comes to preparing your content for the featured slots.

However, here are some of the main factors you need to think about:

Write Helpful And Original Content

I know, it's easier said than done. There is so much content out there on the web, but there are so many benefits to having something new and original to say.

Search engines will see your new blog post as fresh and more relevant if the information it has is up-to-date and original. 

Answer The Question!

How many blogs have you read where they don't actually answer the question? Those type of blogs aren't helpful and they don't get featured.

When writing a blog that is question-based, you must answer the question. At the top of your content, you should provide a clear answer so when search engine spiders crawl your post they can see it and will more likely grab it for the featured snippet. 

Use Schema Markup

Many SEOs stay away from Schema Markup because it means you have to work on HTML and coding, and for some people that sounds like a nightmare.

However, using Schema Markup in your content, is an effective way of helping search engines understand your website. If Google understands your content, then you've got a higher chance of getting featured.

If you're not overly sure what Schema is, then don't worry.  We've got a useful post on how to implement Schema Markup into your content, so even if you're not a code wizard, it gives advice on how to do the basics.

Here are some more tips on targeting rich snippets and cards.

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