Data-backed insights on featured snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords set off a highlighted bit
99 percent of all included bits tend to appear within the very first natural position and take control of 50% of the screen on mobile devices, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The secret to included snippet optimization lies in a few specific locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword method, date significant content that comes at the ideal length and format, and a concise URL structure.
Google has constantly been quite hazy on any details about winning featured snippets. This held true when they were initially presented, making them something services considered to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still mainly the case. Having first-hand knowledge about the value and power of highlighted bits, Brado partnered with Semrush to conduct the most comprehensive research study around included snippet optimization to uncover how they really work, and what you can do to win them.
Revealing the highlights from an Included bits study that analyzed over a million SERPs with highlighted snippets present, this post unwraps actionable recommendations on amping up your optimization technique to lastly win that Google prize.
General patterns across the included snippet landscape.
With billions of search inquiries run through the Google search box every day, our study found that around 19 percent of keywords trigger a featured snippet. Why does this even matter? Included snippets are known to drive higher CTR-- as another study discovered, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Further showing the immense power of highlighted bits, our research study showed that they use up over half of the SERP's property on mobile screens.
Integrate this with our findings that 99 percent of the time included bits take control of the very first natural position, which they remain in most cases activated by long-tail keywords (indicating particular user intent), and you'll get the factor behind extremely high CTR numbers.
Are some industries most likely to trigger highlighted bits?
In the research study, we specified industries by keyword classifications, discovering that, indeed, featured snippet volume is irregular across different segments.
The top market, seeing a featured bit in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer System & Electronic devices, followed by Arts & Home entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Real Estate keywords lag behind all the rest with just 11 percent of keywords setting off a featured bit.
featured snippet optimization insights on keyword categories that set off.
On a domain level, the market breakdown differs somewhat, with Health and News sites having similar featured snippet volumes.
You can find the full market breakdown within the research study.
Featured bits are everything about makes, not wins.
Just hoping your material will win you a featured snippet isn't enough-- as our study revealed, it's everything about hard-earned content optimization outcomes.
1. Enhance for long-tail keywords and concerns.
When it comes to optimization and keywords, use 'the more the much better' reasoning.
Our study discovered that 55.5 percent of highlighted snippets were set off by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones only showed up 4.3 percent of the time.
Something even much better than long-tails is questions. 29 percent of keywords activating a featured snippet start with question words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the least cases, "where" (19 percent).
included snippet optimization insights on question keywords that activate.
2. Utilize the ideal material length and format.
The SERPs we examined included 4 types of highlighted bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the outcomes showed paragraphs, with approximately 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists came in as the second-most-frequent highlighted snippet Learn more here (19 percent), with approximately 6 item counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) generally featured 5 rows and 2 columns.
Videos, whose typical period stood at 6:39 mins, showed up in just 4.6 percent of all cases.
Of course, don't blindly follow this information as the principle, rather see it as a great starting point for featured-snippet-minded content optimization.
Plus, bear in mind that content quality constantly dominates amount, so if you have a high-performing piece that includes a 10-row table, Google will just suffice down, showing the blue "More rows" link, which can even boost your CTR.
3. Do not overcomplicate your URL structure.
As it ends up, URL length matters in Google's option of a website that should have a highlighted bit. Try to stay with neat website 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 three subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make frequent material updates.
In the "to add or not to add a post date" problem, based on our included snippet analysis, we 'd recommend that you release date-marked material.
Most of Google's featured snippets include a post date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type highlighted bits 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 2 to 3 years of ages (2018, 2019, 2020), suggesting as soon as again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't fret that putting a date on it will work against you.