Ranking at #1 in the search results has always been one of the main goals of affordable SEO. Yet this goal has changed recently with Google’s increasing use of the featured snippet on many SERPs. The featured snippet is a block of copy displayed above the SERPs; it has earned the new position of 0, which is the new goal of SEO. The snippet now appears on as many as a third of all search pages, with the number growing every day.
What most people seeking affordable SEO now want to know is how they can secure that coveted spot since it is chosen organically by the search algorithm itself. Although there is no way to ensure that your page will appear in the featured snippet, there are things you can do to increase the chance that it will be chosen to occupy Position 0.
1. Great PageRank
You must realize from the very beginning that to receive any consideration for appearing in the featured snippet, your page must already be ranking relatively high in the SERPs. Concentrate on overall SEO to improve PageRank and increase that possibility.
2. Optimize for Snippet Search Terms
Those who offer affordable SEO services find that certain search terms may increase the chance of being included in the featured snippet. This include terms related to financial information and calculations, health information, time, and DIY instructions and requirements. Terms that receive less acknowledgment include local keywords, informative and factual content, shopping queries, and media-like video and images.
3. Choose the Right Keywords
In addition to using the right SEO search terms, you need to realize that the algorithm seems to prefer certain keyword structures over others. More popular keywords tend to get more attention, as do keywords used in queries that ask a question like who, what, and how. This also includes implied questions using terms like does and cause as well as action words like doing, making, choosing, etc.
The featured snippet is designed to give users a quick answer to the question or term they have searched for, so look for clues as to what to include by viewing the “people also searched” list to see actual searches and the keywords used.
4. Use Correct Grammar and Formatting
Grammatical and spelling errors in your headings, titles, or descriptions decrease the chance that your page will be featured. Additionally, affordable SEO experts suggest paying attention to how current snippets that are related to your search terms appear. They may show up as paragraphs, lists, or tables. To try and capture the same spot, include optimized content using the same type of formatting.
5. Use Questions In Your Content
The snippet feature seems to respond mainly to search queries posed as questions. Take advantage of this by including questions in your content, then supplying answers that specifically address those questions. This form of "snippitizing" content may earn you more SEO consideration for the featured spot since it provides a direct response to the questions being asked by searchers.
Consider creating your content using the inverted pyramid method that highlights the most important information first, then trickles down to provide detailed information next, and other background information last.
6. Strive for High Page Engagement
Another detail that the algorithm seems to award is high traffic and engagement metrics, even on pages listed further down in the SERPs. Even though traffic alone does not create PageRank, higher traffic and more user engagement may be seen as a positive factor in choosing the most relevant snippet to display in the feature box.
While these tips do not guarantee that you will reach Position 0, they highlight the fact that in order to be selected for the featured snippet, organic SEO is the main consideration. To increase the chance that your page will be featured, companies offering affordable SEO services stress that it must offer useful and correct answers to user search queries, contain preferred terms and keyword formats, and be well optimized in all other ways!
