Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords set off a featured snippet
99 percent of all featured snippets tend to appear within the very first organic position and take control of 50% of the screen on mobile devices, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The key to included bit optimization lies in a few specific locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword method, date marked content that comes at the best length and format, and a succinct URL structure.
Google has always been quite hazy on any details about winning highlighted snippets. This was the case when they were initially presented, making them something organizations considered 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 teamed up with Semrush to conduct the most detailed research study around included snippet optimization to uncover how they really work, and what you can do to win them.
Revealing the highlights from a Featured bits research study that examined over a million SERPs with featured snippets present, this post unwraps actionable ideas on amping up your optimization strategy to finally win that Google prize.
General patterns throughout the included bit landscape.
With billions of search queries run through the Google search box each day, our research study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords set off a highlighted bit. Why does this even matter? Featured snippets are known to drive greater CTR-- as another study uncovered, they are accountable for over 35 percent of all clicks.
More proving the tremendous power of featured bits, our study showed that they use up over half 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 position, and that they remain in many cases activated by long-tail keywords (implying specific user intent), and you'll get the reason behind exceptionally high CTR numbers.
Are some markets more likely to set off highlighted snippets?
In the study, we specified markets by keyword categories, finding that, certainly, included snippet volume is irregular throughout numerous 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 Realty keywords drag all the rest with only 11 percent of keywords activating a featured snippet.
included snippet optimization insights on keyword categories that trigger.
Yet on a domain level, the industry breakdown varies a little, with Health and News websites having similar featured snippet volumes.
You can find the full market breakdown within the research study.
Featured snippets are everything about makes, not wins.
Just hoping your content will win you an included snippet isn't enough-- as our research study revealed, it's all about hard-earned content optimization outcomes.
1. Enhance for long-tail keywords and concerns.
When it concerns optimization and keywords, utilize 'the more the much better' logic.
Our study found that 55.5 percent of highlighted snippets were activated by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones just appeared 4.3 percent of the time.
One thing even better than long-tails is concerns. In reality, 29 percent of keywords triggering a featured bit 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 trigger.
2. Utilize the best material length and format.
The SERPs we evaluated consisted of 4 kinds of highlighted snippet: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the results revealed paragraphs, with approximately 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists came in as the second-most-frequent featured snippet (19 percent), with an average of 6 item counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) generally featured five rows and two columns.
Videos, whose average period stood at 6:39 minutes, appeared in only 4.6 percent of all cases.
Of course, don't blindly follow this information as the principle, rather see it as a great beginning point for featured-snippet-minded material optimization.
Plus, bear in mind that content quality constantly dominates quantity, so if you have a high-performing piece that features a 10-row table, Google will just cut it down, showing 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 option of a website that deserves a featured snippet. Try to stick to neat site architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be most likely to win.
Just 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 add or not to include a post date" dilemma, based upon our included bit analysis, we 'd suggest that you publish date-marked material.
The majority of Google's highlighted bits consist of a post date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type highlighted snippets come from date-marked content, paragraphs-- 44 percent, videos-- 20 percent, and tables-- 19 percent of the time.
While fresh-out-of-the-oven content can be favored by Google, 70 percent of all content making it Helpful hints into the featured snippet was anywhere from 2 to 3 years of ages (2018, 2019, 2020), indicating once again that content quality matters more than recency, so you should not fret that putting a date on it will work versus you.