What is a Featured Snippet?
Which is Better for SEO – Featured Snippet Or Position 1? – Featured snippets are perhaps the most discussed and interesting subjects in SEO. The subject of feature snippet is no new matter in the field of search engine optimization. Notwithstanding, the new advancements with Google’s included update have caused us to rethink the genuine estimation of featured snippets inside web result pages.
For years the featured snippet is the most sought-after spot for digital marketers. The main reason behind this was the more number of clicks and attention than any other position. Winning a snippet area means that you have the opportunity to appear twice in the search result, one in the snippet and another in the search result. The top-ranked spot is position zero. The snippet area is also referred to as zero rankings. The zero position provides a piece of information that appears on top of the search engine results.
But these all have been changed with the Google update. This update has made many markets think that now featured snippets are actually worth it or not? Were they ever?
But you like it or not; it is still staying here. Featured snippets are designed to provide a better experience and concise answers to a question. So what does it mean to SEOs currently? Let us find out.
What is Google’s Deduplication?
Google released an update in the year 2021 that has a vast impact on the featured snippet and on the website that are previously winning the snippet area. Google named this update as deduplication. It implies that there will be only 10 organic listings on the search result page, and the snippet will be recognized as the #1 organic position. It means that there would be no more double exposure of the website on the same page, i.e., the first page of search results. Google has sorted the website in such a manner that only one time the website appears in the search result. Before making this update, you must have seen the website’s double exposure, first in the snippet and second below the search result. Now digital markets have no option to double-dip their website.
Are Featured Snippets Still Valuable?
We will say that featured snippets in the current time are double-edged swords. While it’s ideal to have your site included as the top outcome on the Google query list, the actual element is an extraordinary client experience. Numerous clients won’t go any further once they get brief answers to their queries. Different investigations have been led to uncovering that the highlighted piece frequently performs more terribly than the output shown beneath due to the measure of data included by Google in the featured snippet.
There are additionally two or three investigations that have demonstrated the inverse. Recently, one web specialist directed A/B tests on a portion of their content, including snippets inside query items. The outcomes were amazing, no doubt. By utilizing Google’s data-nosnippet tag, they applied the tag to a portion of their top-performing pages included in list items. Promptly, they found that as opposed to acquiring traffic by quitting included pieces, their pages encountered a 12% drop in rush hour gridlock, positioning underneath the highlighted snippet.
Following the deduplication, many rushed to bounce onto the information that sites can carry out a nosnippet tag to their content to be out of featured snippets. But still, we will not say whether enhancing/de-upgrading for featured snippets is better for SEO. If you don’t use SEO, you’re passing up countless possibilities to improve your rankings and traffic, giving your competitors a chance to outrank you. Avail of the best SEO services in Adelaide from professional SEO Experts. If you’ve any doubt to avail the SEO services, you may read this article – Is SEO Still Worth It in 2021?
What is the Recent Development in Featured Snippets?
As per a study, it is reported that back in 2017, featured snippets were giving a negative impact on organic search results. The report says a drop in the click-through rate when the website appears in the featured snippet. When the website was not in the featured snippet, it was receiving a 26% click-through rate. But with the featured snippet, the click-through rate was reduced to 19.6%. This implies that the featured snippet was snagging the near about 8.6% click-through rate. This study was one of the most discussed topics among digital marketers.
After that, some changes were made in featured snippets that eventually imply that, while the Ahrefs study maintains a solid contention. We can, at this point don’t depend on it for exact information on highlighted bits. These new improvements in highlighted bits include:
Google Takes Users to Relevant Text
In June 2020, Google announced that they would make new changes in featured snippets. As per this update, if the users click on the featured snippet URL, it will directly take the users to the text section relevant to users. The desired answer would be highlighted, and it is only applied to the result where Google feels confident about the text.
Impact of BERT on Featured Snippets
BERT has also impacted the featured snippet. BERT is the natural language algorithm update, and in December 2019, it was rolled out for both the search ranking and featured snippets for nearly 70 languages. It helps Google to understand the complexity of language. It has a direct impact on the pattern of content display.
Sidebar Featured Snippets Are Folding
Recently, Google announced that the folding right sidebar featured snippet would be included in the search result’s main panel. These folded snippets will appear on lower positions such as 2 or 3 or maybe lower than this. It was done to reduce the deduplication of content.
Type of Featured Snippets will Appear in Search Results.
The type of featured snippet displayed in the search result will greatly impact SEO and organic listing. Currently, the most displayed featured snippets include:
- Accordion Featured Snippets
- Paragraph Featured Snippets
- Carousel Featured Snippets
- Image Link Featured Snippets
How to Get More Clicks on Featured Snippets?
There are several ways to get your website content on featured snippets. But due to the inappropriate content, users do not click on that snippet. Here we are describing some of the tips that will help you get more clicks on your featured snippets.
- You should answer the user’s question, but you should also try to add some additional information so that searchers find it interesting and open it.
- If you present your content in the form of bullet points, you should add at least eight points. It is because more items will be displayed at the bottom, and searchers will click on that to get complete information.
- It is also good to have a table featured snippet. You can add “x more rows” below the snippet. and you can also add a link to the tablet content that can redirect users to your webpage.
- It would be best if you had a proper picture for the content that Google has pulled for the featured snippet. Place the image under the list, table, or paragraph so that irrelevant pictures should not be used.
- Add proper alt tag and markup schema so that Google’s bot finds it easy to crawl.
With Google’s featured snippet, you will achieve a ranking position above #1 for your search terms.
There are various advantages of the featured snippets. Some of them are described here.
Increase In Website Traffic
The biggest advantage of having featured snippets is the increase in traffic. You will notice a spike in your visitor list with ranking in featured snippets.
Increase In Conversions
The organic conversion gets improved by winning the featured snippet. If a searcher finds reliable content in a snippet, then he takes positive action, and the chance of conversion increases.
Increases Website Authority
Google trusts the website that comes in the snippet. Google considers link building, average time spent on the website, the total number of visits, and other things to calculate the website’s authority.
Increase In Keyword Rankings
Improvement in one field is related to another. As the website authority increases, the improvement in ranking will also be noticed. The online visibility of the websites increased.
Increase In Brand Awareness
When Google adds your content in featured snippets, then brand awareness gets increased. Companies enjoy a hefty amount of brand awareness by coming in featured snippets.
Final Words
If your website is at position #1, it is not advised to get your website optimized for featured snippets. At last, it’s an ideal opportunity to expose the legend that featured snippets are the best for web search results. While one could contend that highlighted bits are as yet helpful for some sites, it’s turning out to be evident that it truly is subject to where your site at present sits and what your objective catchphrases are. For certain inquiries, having website content in featured snippets results in a higher CTR.
In case you are positioning at number six, seven, eight, or beneath on Google’s page one, being highlighted in the featured snippet for your key terms could do your site ponders. Make your effort to achieve the position in the featured snippet. In any case, make certain to focus on the privilege included scraps and make content that catches clicks.
However, if you are now positioning number one, or another top position on Google, going for the featured snippet may not merit the difficulty; all there’s odds you will yield a similar sum, if not more, of traffic in your present position.
If you want the desired conversion for your website, then contact professionals of Marketing Sweet. We are a full-service digital agency that provides solutions for everything under one roof. By understanding our clients’ requirements, we start our work and deliver the same result to the client. Our professionals ensure the front end has all the right keywords in the right places so that you get more and more leads.
