Top 3 Content Types to Create for a Featured Snippet
by wmcuser
Unless you have been lost on a desert island for the last four years, you’ve probably noticed the addition of featured snippets to Google’s search page. Added in 2014, featured snippets appear at the top of Google’s organic searches and aim to answer user’s queries immediately with concise, informative answers.
Landing a featured snippet offers immense benefits, including increased traffic, improved keyword rankings, and a healthy boost to your credibility. And with the help of these content tips from our SEO experts, your company in BC can easily land this coveted search position.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can optimize content to reap the benefits of a featured snippet!
Answer the 5 W’s
Often, Google’s featured snippets function to answer one of the 5 W’s (i.e. who, what, when, where, or why). While satisfying content for this function may seem simple enough, the trick to ranking through the 5 W’s lies in the complexity of the question you’re answering.
For simple questions or questions that Google considers a part of the public domain, the search engine will supply a quick answer or knowledge panel of their own. However, if the question is too complex, Google will skip straight to the organic search results.
So, the trick to ranking through answering these questions is by creating content in the sweet spot between these two search complexities by making sure your subject matter is both:
- Simple enough that you can define it in a short paragraph or list; and also,
- Complex enough that it needs a whole page to unpack.
Provide How-to’s or Instructions
Of the search queries that have a featured snippet in their results, the vast majority of them are for instructions, recipes, and answers to hot how-to questions. As far as content goes generally, instructional content is particularly valuable since it encourages click-throughs and more time spent viewing a page (i.e. a lower bounce rate).
Unlike the other 3 W’s, creating content for the “why” and “how” questions allows for heftier answers. A featured snippet for this type of content functions as a teaser for your answers, encouraging users to learn more by clicking the link.
Give Definitions for Complex Terms
While direct questions answering the 5 W’s are excellent snippable content, answering implied questions also makes great content for featured snippets. An implied question search is one that is not phrased like a question but implies a question. For example, someone who searches simply for “SEO” is likely asking “what is SEO.”
If your page gives a thorough, informative definition for these questions, Google may consider it as a featured snippet. However, ranking for definitions can be difficult since Google also recognizes these implied questions and will often provide dictionary or Wikipedia snippets for these searches.
So, to rank as a featured snippet through definitions you will have to focus on more complex, specific, and detailed definitions. Since engagement rates might play a role in Google’s selection of featured snippets, it’s important to ensure that your resource is as rich and detailed as possible.
Are you looking to take content marketing to the next level, starting with ranking as a featured snippet? Our SEO experts in BC can easily optimize your content to help your company snag this coveted search position! Contact us today to learn more about how you can land a featured snippet.
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