Data-backed insights on featured bit optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords trigger a highlighted bit
99 percent of all featured snippets tend to appear within the first organic position and take over 50% of the screen on mobile phones, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The secret to included bit optimization depends on a few particular locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword method, date significant material that comes at the right length and format, and a concise URL structure.
Google has constantly been quite hazy on any information about winning featured bits. This held true when they were initially presented, making them something organizations thought about to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still mainly the case. Having first-hand understanding about the worth and power of featured bits, Brado coordinated with Semrush to conduct the most detailed research study around featured snippet optimization to reveal how they really work, and what you can do to win them.
Revealing the highlights from an Included bits research study that evaluated over a million SERPs with highlighted snippets present, this post unwraps actionable suggestions on amping up your optimization method to lastly win that Google reward.
General patterns across the included bit landscape.
With billions of search queries run through the Google search box every day, our study found that around 19 percent of keywords set off a highlighted snippet. Why does this even matter? Included snippets are known to drive greater CTR-- as another study discovered, they are accountable for over 35 percent of all clicks.
More showing the immense power of highlighted bits, our study showed that they take up over 50 percent of the SERP's real estate on mobile screens.
Integrate this with our findings that 99 percent of the time included bits take control of the first natural position, and that they remain in most cases triggered by long-tail keywords (suggesting particular user intent), and you'll get the reason behind exceptionally high CTR numbers.
Are some industries more likely to set off featured snippets?
In the study, we specified markets by keyword classifications, discovering that, indeed, featured bit volume is irregular across different sectors.
The leading market, seeing a featured snippet in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronics, followed by Arts & Entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Property keywords drag all the rest with only 11 percent of keywords triggering a featured snippet.
featured bit optimization insights on keyword categories that trigger.
On a domain level, the industry breakdown differs somewhat, with Health and News websites having similar highlighted bit volumes.
You can discover the full industry breakdown within the study.
Featured bits are all about makes, not wins.
Just hoping your content will win you a featured snippet isn't enough-- as our study revealed, it's all about hard-earned material optimization outcomes.
1. Enhance for long-tail keywords and questions.
When it comes to optimization and keywords, use 'the more the much better' logic.
Our research study discovered that 55.5 percent of featured snippets were triggered by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones just appeared 4.3 percent of the time.
One thing even much better than long-tails is questions. In truth, 29 percent of keywords setting off a featured snippet begin with question words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the least cases, "where" (19 percent).
featured bit optimization insights on concern keywords that activate.
2. Utilize the best material length and format.
The SERPs we examined consisted of four kinds of highlighted bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the results showed paragraphs, with an average of 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists came in as the second-most-frequent highlighted snippet (19 percent), with approximately 6 product counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) typically featured 5 rows and two columns.
Videos, whose typical period stood at 6:39 minutes, showed up in Click for more info only 4.6 percent of all cases.
Of course, do not blindly follow this data as the golden rule, rather see it as an excellent beginning point for featured-snippet-minded content optimization.
Plus, remember that content quality constantly prevails over amount, so if you have a high-performing piece that includes a 10-row table, Google will merely cut it down, showing the blue "More rows" link, which can even boost your CTR.
3. Do not overcomplicate your URL structure.
As it turns out, URL length matters in Google's choice of a site that is worthy of a featured bit. Attempt to stick to neat site architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be most likely to win.
Simply for reference, here is an example of a URL with 3 subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make regular material updates.
In the "to include or not to include a post date" predicament, based upon our featured bit analysis, we 'd recommend that you publish date-marked content.
The majority of Google's highlighted snippets include an article date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type featured snippets come from date-marked material, paragraphs-- 44 percent, videos-- 20 percent, and tables-- 19 percent of the time.
While fresh-out-of-the-oven material can be preferred by Google, 70 percent of all content making it into the included bit was anywhere from two to three years old (2018, 2019, 2020), meaning as soon as again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't worry that putting a date on it will work against you.