How to Optimize Your Content for Featured Snippets

Its goal is to provide the user with an immediately relevant and accurate answer. Here’s how it may look like:

So if you’re looking for ‘How to make a featured snippet’, Google will offer you a featured snippet at the top of the page where your answer will be almost completely/ or completely answered.

Why is it so popular?

With featured snippets, it’s easier for users to get the answers to their questions as they don’t have to click on the page to see the info.

Still, if you get your user interested, they’re likely to click on your website and boost your traffic. Most importantly, you don’t need to invest huge sums in advertising, or become #1 in your industry, as any company can earn a position to be shown their featured snippet at the top.

Nevertheless, they are some tips on how to optimize your content and pave your way to the top, so let’s give them a shot.

10 easy tips to try out

1.Check out your competitors

This way you’ll see what they’ve already done and learn how to make it better. You can get inspired and discover the keywords you competitors are using. Use SEMrush for such analytics.

2.Step into your audience’s shoes 

To answer the most frequent questions of your audience, you need to get to know your audience better than anyone. There’s an old-fashioned way of doing this by typing the keywords into a Google search and examining the suggested results. However, you can also take advantage of ‘Answer the Public’.

By entering a keyword related to your industry, you can find out what people are asking about it on the Internet. You’ll get an accurate diagram with a wide range of questions and ideas. Then you can use these questions to create truly relevant content for your audience.

3.Keep it brief

Remember that there’s an optimal word count, and Google will look for a concise answer. According to SEMrush, the most optimal word count for snippets is approximately 40-50 words.

4.Use headers

Always use headers to make your content more visually appealing. Headers can help you break the text into paragraphs. Thus you’ll make it easier to read, or better to say, it will make the text ‘scannable’.

5.Benefit from a ‘how-to’ section

As featured snippets are a perfect opportunity to answer all the ‘how-to’ questions of your audience, why don’t you dedicate a page on your website to such content? This way not only will you optimize your featured snippets, but you will also drive more traffic to your website, as users will be visiting your site for more ‘how-to’ info.

6.Stick with HD visuals

It’s essential to include high-quality images or infographics if you want to stand out. People are fond of learning thingas visually, so you can definitely use it to your advantage and create a visually appealing snippet.

7.Use bulleted lists

We’ve already mentioned that it’s crucial to make your snippet scannable. That is why, if you can present your info in a form of a bulleted list, just do it. This way info will be presented in the form of a summarized list providing the user with an accurate answer.

8.Use tables

You can try out tables for info with figures. Such a structured format makes it easy to navigate through an answer and grasp the most important data. This way a user gets the answer straight away.

9.Include a video

People like watching videos, especially ‘how-to’ videos. If you combine a video with text, users will be even more likely to watch it. So don’t hesitate to use a video as a featured snippet and add a voice transcript or text to support your video content.

10.Try out definitions

In case you want to create a snippet for a keyword with no question, you can turn it into a definition. So why don’t you explain some key concepts in your field? Just have a look at the following example:

So that’s all we wanted to share with you. However, there’s still one question left. What are you still waiting for? Just go for it and give it a try! 

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**About the Author: Alan Walker is a content writer and team lead with 8 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing. Alan writes reviews and articles for Stressays. Thriving in a challenging environment, always finding outside the box solutions to help a business boost its revenues with SEO strategies. Great at providing analytical insights needed for website optimization.