According to recent research, about 12% of searches include a featured snippet in the results. When a featured snippet appears, it steals over 35% of all clicks. Featured snippets take up a sizable amount of search real estate, and they’re used in traditional and voice search alike.
In other words, they’re worth optimizing for! With that in mind, here’s a quick guide to getting featured in a Google featured snippet.
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1. Do your research.
As with anything you do for SEO, keyword research is part of the process. However, after you’ve found your target keyword, it’s time to do an additional layer of research: featured snippet research. During this step, you’re looking to answer two key questions:
- Does this target keyword typically surface a featured snippet in the results?
- What type of featured snippet appears for this keyword?
You can find the answers to these questions by searching for your target keyword in Google, or by using a SEO tool like Ahrefs or SEMRush. For example, in SEMRush, we can see that the keyword “tips for working out” often shows a featured snippet:
And here it is in Google:
2. Use the right format.
There are a few different types of featured snippets: paragraphs, tables, lists (bulleted and numbered), and YouTube videos. Once you’ve answered the second question in step 1, you’ll know what kind of featured snippet most commonly appears for your target keyword. You’ll want to use that same format when creating your content. For example, if Google shows a paragraph snippet, you’d want to keep your content in text form.
If Google shows a YouTube video, you’ll want to make a YouTube video and embed it in any content you create for that keyword:
3. Keep your H2 conversational.
Featured snippets are highly coveted not only because they are used in traditional search, but also because they are read aloud by voice search devices. That’s why you’ll commonly see them when you type in a conversational query, such as “What makes a cookie moist and chewy?” (see screenshot above) as opposed to “moist cookie recipe” (see screenshot below).
When people use a voice search device, they typically frame their search as a question, not a keyword phrase. So, reword your target keyword accordingly.
4. Get to the answer quickly.
Another thing featured snippets share in common? They’re short and sweet (just like cookies). When crafting your content, you’ll want to put your target keyword in the H2, and provide the answer in the text immediately following it. This makes it easier for Google to connect the dots between that keyword and your answer. Your readers will appreciate you getting to the point faster, as well! Plus, Google includes “succinct answers” in its ranking algorithm for featured snippets.
Here’s a keyword we’re ranking for here at Your Marketing People, thanks to our post on social media holidays:
In the blog post itself, we dove right into the holidays after the H2:
5. Add an image.
Sometimes Google shows an image next to the answer for a featured snippet. When a featured snippet includes an image, it’s a lot more likely to grab a searcher’s attention. To increase the visibility of your featured snippet — and drive more clicks to your site — include an image next to your target keyword and answer. Ideally, that image should provide further context about the answer, as in this example:
6. Optimize the rest of the content.
Google likes to promote content that is helpful, interesting, and comprehensive. If you’re hoping to rank for a featured snippet, don’t forget to give the rest of your content some SEO love, too. Make sure you:
- Include a keyword-rich title tag and meta description
- Comprehensively cover the topic related to your target keyword
- Optimize your content for readability by breaking it up with subheadings
- Ensure the page is mobile-friendly and loads quickly
- Include supplemental imagery with optimized alt text
- Mark up the page with relevant structured data
- Build backlinks to the page both internally and externally
It’s your turn to be featured
Are you ready to optimize your content for featured snippets? It helps to get started with a plan. Contact Your Marketing People for a custom SEO strategy that boosts your visibility, clicks, and more.
