Featured Snippet SEO definition

What is a Featured Snippet?

Google offers a multitude of very practical features to enrich the user experience and allow them to find what they want in a few clicks. Among these features are Featured Snippets. They appeared a few years ago and are now part of the SEO opportunities that SEOs must seize.

Featured Snippet: Definition

A Featured Snippet is a results presentation insert that appears at the beginning of the Google SERP (in position zero ) for certain queries. The box allows the search engine to provide a unique and precise answer to the question posed by the user. Featured snippets are most often generated for queries of the interrogative type or those relating to definitions (eg: What is a featured snippet). They include a content block, a clickable link, and sometimes an image .

Like traditional results, the answers that Google puts forward in its results presentation inserts are taken from the websites present in its index. Its algorithm analyzes the keywords used in the query and creates a unique response from the most relevant source based on certain criteria.

Related: SEO Definition of URL Rewriting

The Origin of Featured Snippets

Featured Snippets were first implemented in the United States from 2014.  They were then rolled out to the French SERPs and the rest of Europe in April 2016 . Remember that since 2014, the Quick  Answer Box (QAB) has already existed on the French web, which was presented in a format similar to that of Featured Snippets.

The different types of Featured Snippets

There are currently 6 types of well-known Featured Snippets:

Featured Snippet de type "Paragraph"

Paragraph-type Featured Snippets are blocks of text of approximately 300 characters that are generated in response to direct questions typed into the search bar. This is one of the most common forms of featured snippets on Google. Next to the generated content, we can see the date of publication or update of the article that is cited.

Featured Snippet de type "Table"

Google sometimes offers quick answers in the form of a table. These more or less complex extracts are generally displayed when a request relates to rankings or comparisons. Tables also appear for questions about events.

Here is the Featured Snippet in the form of a table that appears when looking for the ranking of the richest  English people:

Featured Snippet de type "Video"

Sometimes Featured Snippets come directly from YouTube and take the form of a video with its title. It can be viewed directly from its location in the SERP without having to go to YouTube. In some cases,  Google directly suggests a clip from the video that exactly matches the explanation the user is looking for . This is a very handy feature for long videos.

These kinds of featured snippets are very common for keyphrases starting with "how".

Featured Snippet as a "Numbered List"

Numbered lists are a great way to present information that is broken down into several steps. Google has understood this and often offers featured snippets in this form for questions about cooking recipes and various tutorials.

Featured Snippet as a "Bullet List"

Simple bulleted lists also appear for some specific queries. Generally, they are found in Featured Snippets that present rankings or summary information.

Featured Snippet as "Multiple Sources"

Some Featured Snippets present information from multiple sources. This is often the case when a block of text is accompanied by an image or a video. Google's algorithm searches  for the most relevant illustration for the query  and places it next to the text in the optimized insert.

At the top of the numbered list, the insert features images from various sources, along with two YouTube videos.

What is the use of a Featured Snippet?

By their strategic positioning, optimized extracts are very useful SEO levers for natural referencing.

Improves website visibility

A Featured Snippet occupies position zero on Google, i.e. the location before the first organic result. It is highlighted in a frame and has a larger size than all the other elements that are present on the front page. A website that succeeds in appearing in this optimized insert therefore benefits from a certain advantage in terms of visibility. It is highlighted by the search engine algorithm and cannot go unnoticed.

This gain in visibility is even more striking on mobile, because the optimized extract insert, when it exists, is the only result that the user can fully see without scrolling. Also, for voice searches, the Featured Snippet is the result that the voice assistant reads directly .

Increase your website traffic

The gain in visibility brought by being at the top of the first page of results can have a positive impact on the organic traffic of your website. Indeed, since the platform is highlighted,  its click-through rate will be high, which will logically have the effect of increasing organic traffic. This is especially noticeable when the site appears in Featured Snippets that require you to click on the page to get more information on the subject.

Related: Blacklist SEO definition

How to appear in Featured Snippets?

Although there is no magic formula for appearing in Featured Snippets, there are certain actions you can take to make your content eligible for position zero.

Analyze user search intent

Behind every keyword or phrase typed into Google hides a  specific search intent. She may be :

• Informational
• Commercial
• Navigational
• Transactional

As a site manager, one of your missions is to identify this search intent  for your main keywords in order to build your editorial strategy on this basis. Remember that for the past few years, Google has been using search intent to generate responses, and not a simple succession of keywords. Knowing this major indicator will therefore allow you to have relevant and very well calibrated content.

Provide an answer to the question posed by Internet users

Once you have identified the intentions, make sure that the content you create is in line with the existing issues. To do this, you must answer the questions of Internet users. Without it, there is no chance that you can appear in Featured Snippets.

How to do ? Why ? What is ? How it works ? These are some examples of issues that need to be clarified through your articles. In addition, to cover a subject, make sure that all the information useful to readers is present on your page. If your answers are off-topic or incomplete, it will be difficult for you to optimize your SEO with SEO .

Have clear, relevant and concise answers

Responding to real reader concerns is one thing, but doing so clearly and concisely is another. There is only one place to take and for that, you must do your best to make your content as relevant as possible. Avoid verbiage, repetitions, and any other editorial practice that can affect the quality of your texts. Focus on short sentences and use conversational vocabulary that is accessible to your audience .

Properly structure your pages using tags

To make your site appear on the first page, the ranking robots must be able to understand its content. And this is not possible without proper structuring of pages using meta and Hn tags. Respect the maximum recommended lengths for the meta description and the meta title  and structure your content in several H2 paragraphs (preferably formulated as a question).

Analyze your competitors' Featured Snippets to do better

If you plan to dethrone competitors who are already in zero position on certain keywords, then you will have to do better than them. And for that, you have to analyze their contents which are present in the featured snippets. Pay particular attention to the writing style and the words used.

Write table and list type content

To increase your chances of getting a Featured Snippet, you need to create the types of content that Google likes to feature. Thus, for themes requiring comparisons, classifications or enumerations, do not hesitate to create tables or lists. It will also make your site easier for readers to navigate.

Embed images on your pages

Featured snippets sometimes contain images. Consequently, these are potential visibility levers that should not be overlooked. Integrate images into your content and optimize them. The Alt tag and the caption of your visuals must be well informed, with evocative and relevant keywords.