{"id":5801,"date":"2019-08-13T12:13:32","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T19:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/?p=5801"},"modified":"2020-09-14T20:49:40","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T03:49:40","slug":"how-to-optimize-for-featured-snippets-and-rank-in-position-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/how-to-optimize-for-featured-snippets-and-rank-in-position-zero\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Optimize For Featured Snippets and Rank in Position Zero"},"content":{"rendered":"

How To Optimize For Featured Snippets and Rank in Position Zero<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n
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\"Featured<\/p>\n

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If there\u2019s one thing that remains the same about Google, it\u2019s that it is always changing. Yes, you read that right. Consistency isn\u2019t Google\u2019s best feature. It\u2019s really not a feature at all. Instead, the search engine prides itself on its extreme and almost-instantaneous adaptability.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest changes to Google over the last several years is the use of featured snippets on search engine results pages\u2014or SERPs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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What Are Featured Snippets Anyway?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Anyone who has ever used Google has seen a featured snippet. Not everyone knows the proper term for these special types of search results, but we\u2019ve all seen them.<\/p>\n

So just what exactly is<\/em> a featured snippet? It\u2019s the search result that appears at the very top of the search engine results page (SERP) that Google has deemed the most relevant result. Because it has been identified as the most relevant by the search giant, it gets premier placement. Featured snippets inhabit the most coveted real estate on SERPs\u2014position zero. <\/strong><\/p>\n

To rank in position zero is to claim the holy grail of SEO<\/a>. Trust me, you\u2019ll want to learn as much about featured snippets as possible.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s begin with the source. This is how Google itself describes featured snippets:<\/p>\n

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\"How
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Need to see an example? Here\u2019s the featured snippet result that was triggered when we searched for \u201cvegetarian diet\u201d:<\/p>\n

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\"Vegetarian
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There are a few things to note about this featured snippet. You\u2019ll notice that the snippet is a lot like a normal search result, but it is inverted. That is, the snippet is listed first followed by the link. The snippet also contains an image. Interestingly enough, the image is not from the same url as the content.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Vegetarian
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Notice also that there are circled terms below the link. These are terms closely related to the user\u2019s search query and are clickable. Clicking on one of these terms makes the featured snippet box interactive. You can alter the contents of the box by clicking on the different terms.<\/p>\n

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\"Featured<\/p>\n

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Types of Featured Snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Not all featured snippets are the same, though. The majority look similar to the example below and are referred to as \u201cparagraph snippets.\u201d However, there are different types of featured snippets designed to accommodate different kinds of searches. Check out this beautiful paragraph snippet of why frogs do pushups!<\/p>\n

\"Paragraph<\/p>\n

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List Snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One such type is the list snippet. These types of featured snippets are triggered by \u201chow to\u2026\u201d and \u201ctypes of\u2026\u201d kinds of search queries that request a method or several examples, for instance.<\/p>\n

We got list-type featured snippets when we searched \u201chow to make tie dye shirts.” Check it out below !<\/p>\n

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There are two types of list snippets: bulleted list snippets and numbered list snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bulleted List Snippets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Numbered list snippets are typically used when the search query is related to a requested list or how to method. A good example of a search query that triggers a bulleted list snippet is \u201cmost beautiful birds in the world images.\u201d The resulting featured snippet gives a list of the worlds most beautiful birds.<\/p>\n

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\"Words<\/p>\n

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Numbered List Snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Bulleted list snippets are triggered in response to queries that ask for examples or types. The featured snippet for different types of personality tests follows a bulleted list.<\/p>\n

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\"Google
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Another type of featured snippet is the table snippet.<\/p>\n

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Table Snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\"Google
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Google features table snippets when the search engine determines that the information requested in the search query is best presented visually. Table snippets are less common than paragraph and list snippets but still make up a respectable percentage of featured snippet results.<\/p>\n

No matter what type of featured snippet is in question, though, one thing is for sure\u2014you\u2019ll want to optimize your site so that Google selects it<\/a> for one or more of them.<\/p>\n

In the next section, we\u2019ll talk about why.<\/p>\n

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Why Optimize for Featured Snippets?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

So why are featured snippets the topic of an SEO post<\/a>? Well, clearly there are enormous benefits to ranking in position zero on SERPs.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, this is the very best place to be if you want more clicks and traffic to your website<\/a>. In fact, it\u2019s been shown that featured snippets have double the click-through rate (CTR) of normal search results<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Simply put, to become position zero is to become the most clickable link on search results pages.<\/p>\n

Plus, once you get a featured snippet for a keyword, you\u2019re more likely to get another!<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

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How to Optimize for Featured Snippets<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Wouldn\u2019t it be nice if you could just simply tell Google to use your page as a featured snippet? This would be every online marketer\u2019s dream-come-true. Unfortunately, the search giant makes it crystal clear that it\u2019s not that easy:<\/p>\n

Still, there are ways that you can make your site more appealing to search algorithms and increase your chances of ranking in position zero as a featured snippet.<\/p>\n

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The Importance of Question Words<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Featured snippets are most often triggered when Google users use question words in their search queries<\/strong>. Examples of question words include \u201chow,\u201d \u201cwhy,\u201d \u201cwhere,\u201d etc. These words act as a signal to the search engine that the user is looking for a quick, definitive answer.<\/p>\n

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\"Optimize
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Rely on Keyword Research<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Ah, good old keyword research. It\u2019s the mainstay of any good SEO campaign<\/a>, and optimization for featured snippets is no exception.<\/p>\n

But the burning question is: where should you start?<\/p>\n

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Start With Keywords You Already Rank For<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Large-scale studies on featured snippets<\/a> have shown that pages that already rank high on SERPs are more likely to get featured. Therefore, it makes sense to look at where you already rank and then capitalize on your gains.<\/p>\n

The best tool for this is your handy Google Search Console<\/a> account.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve logged in, go to the search results performance report and choose the filter option. Then, filter the information by queries that contain the question words we identified earlier. Remember, these are the words most likely to trigger featured snippets.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to filter the data one question word at a time. Then, sort them from highest ranking to lowest ranking. Choose the queries that you already rank in the top 10 for. These are the queries that represent your very best chances to earn featured snippets.<\/p>\n

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Use a Keyword Research Tool<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Keyword<\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve identified a list of low-hanging fruit<\/a> so to speak, you\u2019ll want to use a keyword research tool<\/a> to further research these keywords. This will help you hone in on the best opportunities to claim a featured snippet. As you peruse the results, use the following guidelines to make wise choices regarding exactly which keywords you want to target for your featured snippet campaign.<\/p>\n

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Guidelines for Keyword Targeting<\/strong><\/h4>\n