The key to success for almost any business today is to establish an online presence. Therefore, the doorway to success and online discovery is through internet search engines, particularly winning placement in Google featured snippets. The route to appearing favorably in any search engine is publishing quality content. Then, conducting strong search engine optimization and promoting content from external platforms. Climbing a step higher and aiming to win prized featured snippets positions will require a combined effort consisting of creative man/womanpower, uncomplicated SEO skills and a strong reporting initiative.
Why Is ‘Position Zero’ a Coveted Spot?
Google featured snippets hold a prominent position in the search engine results pages (SERP); it immediately catches the eye of the user. The purpose of featured snippets is to display bite-sized information about the search phrase. The goal is to answer the question put forward by the user. The featured snippet spot elevates your credibility in the eyes of the search engine; information on your site serves your target audience.
Search engines pick your site based on quality, usefulness and content value. Therefore, the exposure of your site is likely to hike significantly. The featured snippet position, also known as position zero, is a coveted spot; it’s the first focal point on the page for the user. Due to the prominent location, the number of organic visitors is also likely to increase.
Search Engine Land found that after earning the featured snippet, a site reported a 516% increase in sessions. Conversion also rocketed astoundingly from 2% to 8%. This tactic is not only a proven strategy to make your brand more memorable, but also establishes clear returns. Choose your strongest pages and aim to score as featured snippets; then you can drive results and bolster organic traffic back to your business.
Google Playbook Updates
The trick to earning position zero is adaptability; Google is always refreshing guidelines, updating algorithms and modifying the search engine facility to suit the changing needs of users. Working to achieve a series of featured snippets is not a single exercise as it requires regular maintenance. Once you reach this spot, Google can easily replace your placement with a preferred domain with content which is more concise and relevant. If your content answers the question searched for by the user, it would naturally contain related keywords which are a prerequisite for any domain to be labelled strong.
Content Is King
Google values comprehensive, high-quality and keyword-rich content. Therefore, this is an indicator of a knowledgeable and credible domain. The first question you should ask is – does this bring value to the user? If the answer is yes, build upon this by producing a library of quality content, branding your site as the information hub for the topic addressed. By covering each topic under the main subject umbrella, users are likely to remain on your site, rather than switching to an alternative source as all the information is readily available.
In addition to quality content, inbound links can help elevate domain credibility as by other high-quality domains pointing to your site, this is recognized as a prime trust factor. It’s just an important to execute content outreach exercises and ensure that each component of your content is optimized for search engines.
For more on getting visibility in Google’s Featured Snippets, read this article: Google’s Featured Snippets: The Perfect Organic Traffic Builder for Small Businesses.