What Is a Featured Snippet? 5 Ways to Optimize for Position Zero on Google

You search on Google all the time, but have you ever found the answer you wanted without clicking any link? That is the advantage of the excerpts shown at the top of the search page, called Featured snippets provide. Featured snippets are also seen as "position 0" on Google, an SEO technique many SEOs care about today. Today, let's find out together MONA Media look at what a featured snippet is and how to do featured snippet research and optimization effectively in this article.

What is a Featured Snippet?

Featured Snippet is a short excerpt that Google shows in a special position in search results, usually at the very top, to answer users' questions quickly and directly. The excerpt usually appears as text, a table, a list or a video, and is taken from the content of a highly ranked web page. The purpose of a Featured Snippet is to give users useful information right away, without needing to click through to a website.

Example: When you search "What is a virtual classroom" on Google, you may see an excerpt giving a short, concise definition of "virtual classroom" at the top of the results page. 

This excerpt not only helps users get information quickly but also builds credibility and traffic for the website whose content is chosen as the Featured Snippet. That makes Featured Snippets an important part of modern SEO strategy, improving a business's visibility and reach to customers.

What are rich snippets?

Rich Snippets are expanded excerpts in Google search results that give more detail beyond the basics of title, URL and description. This information can include images, ratings, prices and other elements, helping users understand a web page's content without clicking. 

Example: When searching for a recipe, you may see Rich Snippets showing star ratings, cooking time or the calorie count of the dish right on the results page.

SEO is not only about writing good articles or building links, but also about making Google understand you. In this video, the MONA team shares everything from the definition to the right way to implement Schema Markup. Watch it and apply it to your own website!

Common types of Featured Snippets you need to know

To meet the wide range of user search needs, Google has developed many kinds of Featured Snippets. Some common types you should know are:

Definition type

This type gives short, concise information that directly answers the user's question. The content is usually 40-60 characters and mostly answers requests for a short explanation or definition of something. According to a SEMrush study, this is the most common type, making up the majority of 70% all featured snippets researched, so it is a great opportunity for businesses that want to optimize definitions on their website.

List type

Second in 19% popularity among Featured Snippet types, the list type comes in two kinds, ordered and unordered lists. 

• Ordered lists suit presenting processes and rankings from high to low.
• Unordered lists are usually used to list characteristics or features.

Table type

This snippet uses a table to present information in an organized, visual way, suited to comparisons or presenting data. To optimize an article for position 0 in this format, you need to mark up your content with table tags in HTML. Featured Snippets of this type usually relate to keywords such as "price", as in the example MONA provides below:

There are also other Rich Snippet types, such as charts, images and videos, that make content more engaging and interactive.

Why optimize articles for featured snippets?

Of course, featured snippets are popular not only because they are useful to users but also because they bring businesses other major benefits. That is why optimizing featured snippets has become a strategy no SEO can ignore today. Specifically, featured snippets help businesses:

• Increase the chance of reaching position 0: Featured snippets let you take position 0 on SERP, increasing your article's visibility and the chance users click through.
• Build credibility: Appearing in featured snippets shows that your business's content is high quality and also builds trust in your brand.
• Increase organic traffic: Position 0 usually has a higher click-through rate (CTR) than position 1, and you do not pay any ad costs to get there.
• Stand out: Featured snippets make your article stand out in search results. Specifically, an article can hold both position 0 and position 1 for the main keyword, creating more chances for user engagement.
• No cost: Unlike running ads, optimizing an article for featured snippet research saves a business a lot of money because it costs nothing, including no extra fees.

What are the steps to optimize for Featured Snippets and position 0?

So what does a business need to do to optimize for Featured Snippets and raise its site's visibility and traffic? To optimize featured snippets for a website, MONA usually applies these 6 basic steps:

Find keywords likely to qualify

The first step in optimization is to identify keywords that are likely to appear in Featured Snippets. Google usually shows Featured Snippets for queries about definitions, how-tos and comparisons. To find suitable keywords, research keywords related to your field. 

There are 2 ways to do keyword research: Analyze competitor websites in your country, and analyze competitor websites in the global market. Specifically, use SEO tools on devices such as Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze keywords and see which ones currently appear at position 0, following these steps: go to Organic Keywords in the tool >> choose SERP Features >> Feature snippet. 

The results can fall into two cases: 

• With a quotation mark icon: This means your article currently shows as the featured snippet for those keywords.
• Without a quotation mark icon: The keyword still shows a featured snippet, but it belongs to another source, not the website you are analyzing.

-> Read more:

• Keyword research methods in detail, from A to Z
• The most effective and popular keyword research tools

Analyze the keyword's featured snippet

After identifying the keywords, analyze the type of Featured Snippet each one currently shows. There are three main types of Featured Snippets: definition, list and table. Knowing which type is in use helps you optimize your content the right way.

Review and adjust the word count of the position 0 result

Analyzing the word count of the position 0 result is necessary to optimize your content effectively. Featured snippets usually run 50 to 60 words. Look at the word count of the current Featured Snippets and adjust your content to match. 

Optimize headings and paragraphs for the Featured Snippet

Use heading tags to clarify your content and structure. Make sure the tags are not duplicated and give accurate, easy-to-understand information. It also helps to add images and videos along with Alt tags keyword optimization.

Optimize content formatting

The formatting of your article must be clear and well structured. The article should include related sections and go deep on each aspect of the topic. Make sure the content under H3 tags clarifies the content under H2 tags and keeps the article highly logical.

Submit the article to Google

Finally, use Google Search Console to send a request for Googlebot to crawl and index your article's content. This helps Google quickly recognize your new content and show it in search results.

Getting an article to position 0 is clearly not simple, but the results and benefits of a successful optimization are well worth it. So don't skip optimizing for Featured Snippets!

Also, if you want to speed up the process of reaching position 0 more effectively, you can consider SEO services package from MONA? As a SEO company No. 1 on the market in recent years, MONA has helped more than 12,000 clients in Vietnam and abroad grow revenue by up to 300% from SEO alone over more than 10 years. This success comes from a team of SEO specialists with strong expertise and hands-on SEO experience across many industries, who keep learning and tracking SEO algorithm updates to bring even the hardest industries and keyword sets "on-top“! With MONA's SEO service, you get benefits such as: A full strategy that fits the client's SEO goals. A full website check and upgrade, because SEO results only last when the website meets the standards. Access to MONA's quality backlink resources and satellite sites. Ongoing website optimization and keyword expansion to build brand awareness and attract potential customers effectively. Regular tracking and reporting by SEO specialists, with 24/7 support throughout our work together. And many more benefits are waiting for you! Please CONTACT US with MONA via Hotline 1900 636 648 to get advice and access to the SEO service price list for details and get your website to position 0 quickly with a quality SEO service! Or you can contact MONA via: Address: 1073/23 Cach Mang Thang Tam, Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City Hotline: 1900 636 648 Email: info@themona.global

What should you keep in mind when optimizing Featured Snippets?

Optimizing Featured Snippets is clearly not simple, and to be recognized by Google at position 0, you still need to keep these important points in mind:

• Make sure your article is fully and correctly optimized for SEO, because the higher your article ranks, the greater its chance of appearing in Featured Snippets.
• Even when your article is already at position 0, you still need to monitor and adjust the content to keep and improve the position so competitors do not overtake you.
• Understand your competitors so you can plan content that beats theirs.
• Don't forget to improve secondary factors such as social signals, backlink, and user engagement with the article.
• Google needs time to update and move your article up, so be patient and keep optimizing your content regularly.

Google's latest updates on Featured Snippets

Google keeps improving and innovating with the ultimate goal of perfecting the user experience. That is why new updates keep being announced. As for Featured Snippets, Google has not announced many new updates recently. You can still refer to Google's most recent update in the month of 1/2020, specifically:

• Display limits URL in Featured Snippets: Google has reduced the number of URLs allowed to appear in Featured Snippets. This means only high-quality content of real value is chosen for display, improving the user experience.
• Removing Featured Snippets from the SERP: You can remove Featured Snippet display by adding the max-snippet or nosnippet tag to your page. However, opting out of featured snippets lets your competitors "seize the opportunity" to appear in that spot.
• Featured snippets in the desktop SERP sidebar: On desktop, Featured Snippets are shown in the right sidebar of the results page instead of the central position as before.

Frequently asked questions about featured snippets

What is a Featured Snippet is probably an unfamiliar concept for those who are learn how to do SEO online for a website. So MONA has gathered some common questions people ask about Featured Snippets and provides answers for you.

1. Can Google remove Featured Snippets?

Featured Snippets can be removed if they do not comply with Google's policies or when the search algorithm changes. Google keeps updating and adjusting these snippets to make sure users get the most accurate and useful information.

2. How do Featured Snippets work on the search page?

Featured Snippets work by taking information from web pages whose content matches the user's query and showing it as a short excerpt right above the search results. Google automatically picks the content it believes best meets the user's need and places it in the most prominent position on the results page.

3. Does a website pay for Featured Snippets?

Featured Snippets are completely free. Unlike paid ads, you cannot pay to appear in this position. Instead, you need to optimize your content in the way Google considers best for users' search needs.

4. Are Featured Snippets good for Search Engine Optimization?

Featured Snippets are very good for SEO because they significantly increase a website's presence on the search results page. When your content is chosen for this prominent position, it not only catches users' attention but also improves click-through rate (CTR), letting the website appear ahead of even other regular search results.

5. What is the click rate on Featured Snippets?

According to studies, Featured Snippets can account for about 8% to 10% of all clicks on a search results page. This shows the value of optimizing content to appear in a Featured Snippet.

That is a detailed answer to the question What are Featured Snippets. Optimizing featured snippets is an important step to raise your website's ranking and visibility on Google. By applying the methods that MONA shared above, you can reach the position 0 you want. Good luck!