What You Need to Know About Google’s Featured Snippets

For businesses, being at the top of a Google search page is where it’s at. Statistics tell us that the first page of a Google search return can capture over 90% of traffic clicks business owners are aiming for.

The prime real estate on a Google search return, of course, is the Featured Snippet…that framed summary that usually appears at the top of the page or just below the paid ad. But does not being in the Featured Snippet significantly hurt your online business?

We’ll talk about it in this issue.

What is a Featured Snippet?

It’s information that’s been extracted from a site in relation to a person’s search. This is Google’s attempt to provide the searcher with an answer to his or her question. With the increasing use of services like Siri and Alexa, people are forming the majority of their searches in the form of questions – and Featured Snippets are Google’s way of providing answers.

What kinds of Featured Snippets are there?

There are essentially three (3) types of Featured Snippets:

  1. paragraphs or plain text that provide a general definition;
  2. lists; and
  3. tables.

Do Featured Snippets really drive more traffic?

There’s little doubt that Featured Snippets catch a person’s eye. They’re framed and they’re larger than the other search returns.

However, a recent study illustrated that while a Featured Snippet will pry some of the traffic away from the top organically ranked site, the effect is somewhat less than you may have thought.

The study found that when there’s no Featured Snippet, the top search result usually gets around 26% of the clicks. However, when a Featured Snippet is included, the top organic result nets less than 20% of the clicks and the Featured Snippet gets about 9%.

How do I get a Featured Snippet?

If your site is already ranked among the top 10 in terms of Google search returns, you’re in good standing to get a Featured Snippet. To make your odds even better, look at your content and consider presenting it in a different format, such as traditional question and answer format, and including lists and charts.

For expertise in improving your Google ranking, call Caldiatech.

The digital age is in a constant state of transition. That’s why it makes good business sense to leverage the expertise of professionals who have their finger on the pulse of the latest trends.

Here at Caldiatech, we’ll work with you to optimize your site and make sure that it’s properly positioning you for success.

For a free consultation, call us at 800-728-1411 or you can reach us online.