How Can You Optimize for Featured Snippets?

Use FAQ Schema Markup

We are consistently able to get featured snippets in “People Also Asked” by including FAQs and FAQ schema markup in all our top-performing blog posts.

One of our best-featured snippets is under the keyword “creating an eCourse,” with the expanded answer for “How do you build an eCourse?”

A top-performing article with the correctly chosen questions will be featured in the “People Also Asked” questions. To research our schema, we use a combination of searches in Google, Clearscope, and Answer the Public.

Look into Structure and Placement

A featured snippet is an excerpt that Google creates and places under the ads but above the organic result, hence the name, “position 0.” At Bovision, there are a bunch of featured snippets, but they’re in Swedish, for example, for the phrase “köpa ödehus” (buy abandoned house).

To increase the chances of Google choosing to highlight your content, it is important to already have a high organic placement, at least top 5 but preferably top 3. Then, there are a bunch of parameters to consider.

• The article should be able to briefly answer the most common questions the reader may have, clearly structured so that Google can easily create an excerpt.
• Preferably, a table or a structured (numbered) list or unstructured list (bullet list).
• A brief paragraph can work well if the heading is clear.
• The heading should be marked as a heading with either H1, H2, or H3.

Target Question-Based Keywords

To optimize content for featured snippets, focus on question-based keywords. For instance, targeting the keyword “how to improve SEO rankings” and structuring content with clear, concise answers to this question, using bullet points and subheadings for better readability.

Make sure to answer the question in the first few lines of the content, as Google often pulls the snippet from this section. Additionally, ensure the content provides comprehensive, in-depth information on the topic to increase the chances of being chosen for the snippet.

As a result of this strategy, the content can achieve the featured snippet position for the keyword, driving increased organic traffic to the site. Remember, optimizing for featured snippets requires a clear understanding of the audience’s questions and providing direct, valuable answers.

Follow a Thorough Process

To achieve a featured-snippet position, our strategy involved thorough research and an understanding of user intent. We analyzed the search results for the keyword and identified the type of featured snippet that Google typically displays for similar queries.

Next, we created high-quality content that directly answers the query in a concise and informative manner. We ensured that the content is structured logically, using headings and subheadings to break down the information into easily digestible sections.

In addition, we incorporated relevant keywords naturally throughout the content, making it easier for search engines to understand the context. We also utilized schema markup to provide additional structured data, allowing search engines to extract relevant information more effectively.

To increase the chances of getting featured, we added lists, tables, or step-by-step instructions where appropriate, as these formats tend to be favored by Google for featured snippets.

Understand User Intent

By proactively focusing on particular keywords and organizing our material to provide succinct and complete solutions to frequently asked topics, we have optimized content for a variety of featured snippets.

For instance, “how to make a video online” is one keyword for which we received a featured snippet. Understanding the user intent behind this query allowed us to develop a blog post that not only detailed how to make a video online using our platform step-by-step, but also included pertinent subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists.

By providing images and video samples, we also made sure the text was understandable and visually appealing. By employing these techniques, we made our content stand out to search engines as a reliable information source, which led to a featured snippet position.

Insert a Table

Tables are often used by Google for featured snippets, especially when the search query demands structured data. A featured snippet was successfully acquired for the keyword “comparison of Android phones” by organizing the information into a detailed table.

This table clearly compared different Android phones based on parameters such as cost, features, and performance. Google favored this tabular structure as it provided a comprehensive answer to the user’s query.

Create Detailed How-To Guides

Detailed how-to guides can be a great way to achieve featured snippet status. We targeted the keyword “how to learn Morse code” and created a step-by-step guide, which not only gave the readers actionable tips but also provided Google with an easy-to-extract, structured set of instructions. This strategy contributed to earning us the coveted featured snippet spot.

Provide Data Points

Optimizing content for featured snippets is a task I’m well-versed in. Imagine writing an article about the perks of coffee (the ultimate life potion) with the target keyword being “Health benefits of coffee.”

A winning strategy was brewed up by peppering the content with juicy data points, like coffee’s metabolism-boosting powers and its potential to lower Parkinson’s risk. To make it extra tasty, the info was served in bite-sized bullet points, making it a breeze to digest. And voila! “Health benefits of coffee” scored the sought-after featured snippet position, delighting all the caffeine enthusiasts out there. The secret recipe for content optimization is ready to be featured in snippets.

Divide Content

Optimizing your content is very important, whether you want to be in the top searches or get featured snippets.

For this purpose, you need to understand how snippets work. You need to divide your content into different sections. Each of these sections should have a heading. Identify the keywords that relate to your topic. Use them in one of the headings and in the content below it as well. The content below the heading should be to the point. If it is not to the point, chances are it won’t get into featured snippets.

For example, we wrote an article on Google Trends and included the keyword “how to use Google Trends for marketing.” This allowed us to achieve a featured snippet position with a concise, step-by-step answer.