Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords trigger a highlighted snippet
99 percent of all included snippets tend to appear within the first natural position and take control of 50% of the screen on mobile phones, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The key to featured bit optimization lies in a couple of specific areas: long-tail- and question-like keyword technique, date marked content that comes at the right length and format, and a concise URL structure.
Google has actually always been quite hazy on any information about winning featured bits. This held true when they were initially introduced, making them something businesses thought about to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still mostly the case. Having first-hand knowledge about the value and power of highlighted snippets, Brado coordinated with Semrush to perform the most extensive research around included bit optimization to discover how they really work, and what you can do to win them.
Exposing the highlights from an Included bits research study that examined over a million SERPs with featured snippets present, this post unwraps actionable recommendations on amping up your optimization method to lastly win that Google prize.
General patterns across the featured bit landscape.
With billions of search queries run through the Google search box each day, our study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords trigger a featured snippet. Why does this even matter? Featured bits are known to drive greater CTR-- as another study uncovered, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Further proving the immense power of highlighted bits, our study revealed that they take up over 50 percent of the SERP's property on mobile screens.
Combine this with our findings that 99 percent of the time included snippets take control of the very first natural Additional info position, which they are in most cases activated by long-tail keywords (indicating specific user intent), and you'll get the factor behind incredibly high CTR numbers.
Are some markets most likely to set off featured snippets?
In the study, we specified markets by keyword classifications, discovering that, certainly, featured snippet volume is inconsistent throughout different segments.
The top market, seeing a featured snippet in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronic devices, followed by Arts & Home entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Realty keywords drag all the rest with just 11 percent of keywords activating a featured snippet.
featured bit optimization insights on keyword classifications that trigger.
Yet on a domain level, the industry breakdown varies a little, with Health and News websites having equivalent featured bit volumes.
You can find the complete market breakdown within the study.
Featured bits are all about makes, not wins.
Simply hoping your material will win you an included snippet isn't enough-- as our study showed, it's everything about hard-earned material optimization outcomes.
1. Optimize for long-tail keywords and questions.
When it comes to optimization and keywords, utilize 'the more the much better' reasoning.
Our research study discovered that 55.5 percent of featured snippets were set off by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones just appeared 4.3 percent of the time.
Something even much better than long-tails is concerns. 29 percent of keywords triggering 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 set off.
2. Use the ideal content length and format.
The SERPs we examined included four kinds of highlighted bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the results revealed paragraphs, with an average of 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists came in as the second-most-frequent featured bit (19 percent), with approximately 6 product counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) typically included five rows and 2 columns.
Videos, whose average period stood at 6:39 minutes, showed up in only 4.6 percent of all cases.
Naturally, do not blindly follow this data as the principle, rather see it as a good starting point for featured-snippet-minded content optimization.
Plus, keep in mind that content quality constantly prevails over quantity, so if you have a high-performing piece that includes a 10-row table, Google will simply cut it down, revealing the blue "More rows" link, which can even enhance your CTR.
3. Don't overcomplicate your URL structure.
As it ends up, URL length matters in Google's choice of a site that should have a featured snippet. Attempt to stick to cool site architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be more likely to win.
Just 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 include or not to add a post date" dilemma, based on our featured snippet analysis, we 'd recommend that you publish date-marked content.
Most of Google's highlighted bits include a post date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type highlighted snippets originate 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 featured snippet was anywhere from 2 to 3 years of ages (2018, 2019, 2020), implying when again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't stress that putting a date on it will work versus you.