Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization

published on 04 February 2024

Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization

Around one-fifth of all keywords set off a highlighted snippet

99 percent of all included bits tend to appear within the very first organic position and take over 50% of the screen on mobile phones, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).

The key to included snippet optimization depends on a few particular locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword method, date marked material 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 highlighted bits. This held true when they were first presented, making them something organizations considered 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 featured bits, Brado partnered with Semrush to perform the most detailed research 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 bits present, this post unwraps actionable suggestions on amping up your optimization method to finally win that Google prize.

General patterns throughout the included bit landscape.

With billions of search queries go through the Google search box every day, our research study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords set off a featured bit. Why does this even matter? Included bits are understood to drive higher CTR-- as another study uncovered, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.

Further showing the immense power of featured 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 snippets take over the very first natural position, which they are in many cases triggered by long-tail keywords (indicating specific user intent), and you'll get the factor behind exceptionally high CTR numbers.

Are some markets most likely to trigger highlighted bits?

In the research study, we specified markets by keyword classifications, discovering that, undoubtedly, included snippet volume is irregular across numerous segments.

The leading market, seeing a featured snippet in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronic devices, followed by Arts & Entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Realty keywords drag all the rest with only 11 percent of keywords setting off an included snippet.

featured bit optimization insights on keyword classifications that trigger.

Yet on a domain level, the market breakdown differs slightly, with Health and News websites having comparable featured snippet volumes.

You can discover the complete industry breakdown within the research study.

Featured snippets are everything about earns, not wins.

Simply hoping your material will win you an included snippet isn't enough-- as our study revealed, it's everything about hard-earned material optimization results.

1. Optimize for long-tail keywords and concerns.

When it comes to optimization and keywords, utilize 'the more the much better' logic.

Our study discovered that 55.5 percent of featured bits were activated by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones just appeared 4.3 percent of the time.

Something even 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).

featured snippet optimization insights on concern keywords that set off.

2. Utilize the right material length and format.

The SERPs we examined included four types of featured snippet: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.

70 percent of the results showed paragraphs, with approximately 42 words and 249 characters.

Lists can be found in as the second-most-frequent highlighted snippet (19 percent), with an average of 6 product counts and 44 words.

Tables (6 percent) usually featured 5 rows and 2 columns.

Videos, whose average duration stood at 6:39 mins, showed up in only 4.6 percent of all cases.

Obviously, don't blindly follow this information as the golden rule, rather see it as a good beginning 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 features a 10-row table, Google will merely suffice down, revealing the blue "More rows" link, which can even improve 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 snippet. Attempt to stay with neat website architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be more likely to win.

Just for referral, here is an example of a URL with three subfolders:.

xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.

4. Make regular material updates.

In the "to add or not to include a post date" issue, based on our featured bit analysis, we 'd recommend that you publish date-marked material.

The majority of Google's highlighted snippets consist of a short article date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type featured bits originate 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 into the https://controlc.com/49531046 included snippet was anywhere from 2 to 3 years old (2018, 2019, 2020), meaning once again that content quality matters more than recency, so you should not fret that putting a date on it will work against you.

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