How Do You Optimize Content for Featured Snippets?

Just like every other digital marketer on the planet, you’re most likely racking your brain constantly to claim the number one position on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). After all, doing so helps drive organic traffic and gives your brand reputation a nice boost. 

But the 2022 prediction for SEO is that you should be aiming for position zero on SERPs—also known as featured snippets. These search results overtake those in the number one position and answer the questions of users instantly. 

But how can you easily optimize content for featured snippets and win a spot in that powerful, all-knowing box at the top SERPs? 

The Influence Agency is here to show you how it’s done. 

What Are Featured Snippets?

Whenever we have a question in mind, it’s almost as if it’s a muscle reflex to Google the answer. And the first thing that usually captures our attention is that portion containing the answer right at the top of the SERPs—the featured snippet. The information that appears in featured snippets is a selection of clippings from a page that Google deems as the most relevant answer. 

Ultimately, the one who gives the most straightforward answer first wins the clicks.
While earning a featured snippet gives you instant visibility, it’s important to keep in mind that it doesn’t always equal increased site traffic. This is because some featured snippets give away the complete answer instantly, which eliminates the need to click the link to see more. Aiming to win featured snippets that require more elaboration is the best way to boost traffic for your pages. 

Generally, there are four main types of featured snippets:

• Paragraphs (81.95% of total featured snippets) 
• Listicles
• Tables  
• Videos

How Can I Easily Optimize Content for Featured Snippets?

The competition to earn a Google featured snippet is stiff. This is why it’s vital to identify the best opportunities and strategies to win that spot.

Here are the best practices to keep in mind if you aim to optimize content for featured snippets:

Prioritize Matching User Intent

Matching user intent is all about figuring out why users would look up that specific search query in the first place. How can you offer them a solution through your content in the most succinct way possible?

Research Your Way to Success

Thinking about writing a blog that answers the who/what/where/when/why/how?  

Start by entering that specific query in Google to see who’s ranking. Then, evaluate the featured snippet to see if there are ways you can create content that’s superior.

Furthermore, opting for the road less travelled is a great opportunity as well. If you’ve typed in a query, but no featured snippet appears, it often means that Google hasn’t identified a source that it deems accurate enough just yet. This right here is your golden opportunity to capture Google’s attention by creating the content it’s looking for. 

Opt For Terms With Low Keyword Difficulty

When a term has a high keyword difficulty, the harder it is to compete with others using that keyword. Target those with low keyword difficulty to increase your chances of Google recognizing your content. 

Upgrade Your SEO and Keyword Strategy

Generally, Google chooses a featured snippet from the entries on page one of SERPs. 

Hence, featured snippets are still tied to well-optimized content. This is why upgrading your keyword strategy and SEO is one of the first steps you should take if you want to optimize content for featured snippets. 

Use Questions in Your Headings

Featured snippets are meant to answer questions. So, if your content follows a question-and-answer format, it’s likely that Google will pick it up as a relevant source. 

Format your content to feature the actual search queries in the H2s of the blog. Answering any related questions in your content will help boost its performance as well. 

Use Paragraphs, Lists, and Tables

Leveraging concise paragraphs, lists, and tables is one of the smartest ways to optimize content for featured snippets because you’re curating your strategy to match exactly what Google looks for. After all, these are the main types of Google featured snippets.

• Paragraphs. Aim to answer a question briefly and concisely in approximately 42 words or 250 characters. 

• Listicles. Create lists that offer valuable content and cover more than eight items. This is because the average number of items in a listicle that appears in a featured snippet is eight. By bulking up content, you’re giving users a reason to actually click your link to see more information. 

• Tables. While well-designed images containing table graphics add immense aesthetic value, they’re not always the best choice if you want to optimize content for featured snippets. You have the opportunity to boost relevant content when you use table tags in HTML.

Include Relevant Graphics

While organizing data in tables rather than in graphics helps optimize content for featured snippets, that doesn’t mean you should avoid including images altogether. 

If you’re aiming to be featured for lists or paragraphs, then it’s actually vital that you include multiple images that will add value to the user experience. Take note that unique photographs that are custom-made tend to perform better than stock images. 

Take this as a sign that you should be investing in custom brand photography. 

Optimize Content for Featured Snippets With The Influence Agency

If your goal is to optimize content for featured snippets, then making sure that your SEO strategy and blog content strategy are on point is the first step you need to take.

Here at The Influence Agency, one of the leading digital marketing agencies in North America, we specialize in creating content that climbs to the top of SERPs. 

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help drive traffic to your site!