Data-backed insights on featured snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords trigger a featured bit
99 percent of all included bits tend to appear within the 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 bit optimization depends on a few particular locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword strategy, date significant content that comes at the best length and format, and a succinct URL structure.
Google has always been quite hazy on any information about winning featured snippets. This was the case when they were initially introduced, making them something businesses thought about to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still largely the case. Having first-hand knowledge about the value and power of highlighted snippets, Brado partnered with Semrush to carry out the most thorough research study around included bit optimization to reveal how they really work, and what you can do to win them.
Revealing the highlights from an Included bits study that evaluated over a million SERPs with featured snippets present, this post unwraps actionable suggestions on amping up your optimization strategy to finally win that Google reward.
General patterns across the featured bit landscape.
With billions of search queries run through the Google search box every day, our research study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords set off a featured snippet. Why does this even matter? Featured bits are known to drive higher CTR-- as another research study uncovered, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Additional proving the enormous power of featured bits, our research study revealed that they take up over half of the SERP's real estate on mobile screens.
Combine this with our findings that 99 percent of the time featured snippets take over the first natural position, which they are in the majority of cases set off by long-tail keywords (suggesting specific user intent), and you'll get the factor behind exceptionally high CTR numbers.
Are some industries more likely to activate featured bits?
In the study, we defined industries by keyword classifications, discovering that, certainly, included snippet volume is irregular across various sections.
The top industry, seeing an included bit in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronic devices, followed by Arts & Entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Real Estate keywords lag behind all the rest with just 11 percent of keywords triggering a featured bit.
included snippet optimization insights on keyword categories that activate.
On a domain level, the market breakdown varies somewhat, with Health and News websites having similar featured bit volumes.
You can find the complete market breakdown within the study.
Featured bits are all about earns, not wins.
Simply hoping your content will win you an included bit isn't enough-- as our research study showed, it's all about hard-earned content optimization results.
1. Optimize for long-tail keywords and questions.
When it pertains Click here! to optimization and keywords, use 'the more the much better' logic.
Our research study discovered that 55.5 percent of highlighted snippets were triggered 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 concerns. In truth, 29 percent of keywords setting off an included snippet begin with question words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the least cases, "where" (19 percent).
included bit optimization insights on concern keywords that activate.
2. Use the ideal material length and format.
The SERPs we examined included 4 kinds of featured bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the outcomes revealed paragraphs, with an average of 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists was available in as the second-most-frequent highlighted bit (19 percent), with an average of 6 item counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) usually featured five rows and 2 columns.
Videos, whose average duration stood at 6:39 mins, appeared in just 4.6 percent of all cases.
Of course, don't blindly follow this information as the golden rule, rather see it as a good starting point for featured-snippet-minded content optimization.
Plus, bear in mind that content quality always 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 turns out, URL length matters in Google's option of a site that deserves a highlighted bit. Try to adhere to neat website architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be more likely to win.
Simply for reference, here is an example of a URL with 3 subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make frequent content updates.
In the "to add or not to include a post date" problem, based on our featured bit analysis, we 'd recommend that you release date-marked content.
The majority of Google's highlighted snippets include an article 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 content 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), indicating as soon as again that content quality matters more than recency, so you should not fret that putting a date on it will work versus you.