Rich snippets on Google search engine result pages (SERPs) effortlessly attract attention due to the “premium digital real estate” and position it occupies. It seamlessly offers a visual comfort zone and a decent volume of high-value information right on the SERPs. As a result, audiences are more likely t click on rich snippets rather than scrolling down to evaluate other URLs. Hence featuring on rich snippet position is the best way to beat the competition.
In fact, running in rich snippets is the main objective of content marketing strategy for most of the progressive digital marketers. However, getting a place in these covetous sections isn’t an easy feat to achieve. For that, you need a solid strategy, lots of patience, and deep analytics abilities. In this post, we are going to share some of the best strategies to position your site in the rich snippets section
Study the existing rich snippets on targeted keywords
Start smart. On Google search, if there already exist any rich snippets related to your targeted keywords. If yes, then you need some extra effort. Start with a solid strategy. Carefully analyze the content of those rich snippets and see how you can add more value to that content.
Suppose, “best SEO strategies in 2022” has a rich snippet titled “10 best SEO strategies to rank on Google”. Come up with something bigger and better. Titles like “20 All-time best strategies to rank in top Google results” or “Top Google ranks in 2022 with these 20 failsafe tips” sound great. More importantly, concentrate on creating matching content.
The format also matters a lot. Generally, lists or bullet points are more likely to appear in rich snippets but short paragraphs may also appear. HTML elements like H2 tags or hierarchical headings may further increase your chances to get visibility in rich snippets.
Find out the keywords that brought your competitor to rich snippets
With Search Analytics you can find out the keywords that enabled your competitors’ websites to show up in rich snippets. A solid piece of advice is to add more graphic elements like graphs, summaries, tables, charts, and brief infographics to your content. Try to contextually add keywords across these elements to attract the attention of search engine bots.
Find the relevant questions for rich snippet content
Another strategy is to answer the questions related to the keywords on which rich snippets are ranking. For that, you need to do some research. Quora is the standard tool that is used by global digital marketers to find the most relevant questions with high value. You may use the section called People also ask. It will give you a better and wholesome idea of what people are most curious to know about. Accordingly frame your answers to further enhance the possibilities and advantages of rich snippet position.
As a responsible search engine portal Google is committed to promoting the sources that fully satisfy the audience’s queries to deliver them the best user experience. So, any article that meets these criteria of fully satisfying users’ queries is also rewarded by putting their article in a rich snippet.
In other words, deep research of the most popular questions around your targeted keywords is the first step towards your rich snippet strategy. Next, carefully refer to different authoritative sources for the answer. Simultaneously think about multiple aspects of the question and how can you answer each of them.
Use right word length for different portions of your article
As already described brevity and value are two key elements to get your article added to rich snippets on SERPs. Ideally, it is best to avoid exceeding 60 words for your content portions, Follow this word limit across all the formats like paragraphs, bulleted/numbered lists, conclusions, quotes, etc. Ideally, target to close each portion in 50 words. Filter out all the unnecessary or irrelevant information. Also, eliminate most basic information.
Use a cogent content hierarchy and structure
A cogent heading structure can also bring you nearer to your goal of ranking enrich snippets. For instance, you can consider supporting the main H2 heading with subordinate points by using H3 and H4 tags. It will not only make your content scannable but will also help search engine bots understand the depth of your content.
Dedicate an entire page for frequently asked questions
One of the major concerns for the people aspiring to rank their site in the rich snippet is how to rank on specific keywords without stuffing. An easier way to do it is to find the content structure that naturally supports multiple instances of keywords. FAQ is one such structure. Such structure not only helps you consistently follow a uniform format of answers but also enables you to use keywords at multiple places. For that, you would need to learn the FAQ Schema plugins.
FAQ schema should strictly be sued for informational use. The objective is to offer the best user experience and satisfy their maximum queries. Manipulating this schema for promotional purposes can hurt instead of helping your brand.
Try using a dedicated page for how to, knowledgebase, or tutorials section that solely concentrates on FAQ-type questions. It will not only satisfy the requirements of rich snippet guidelines but will also make it easier for the audiences to quickly get an answer to their major concerns.
You first need to rank on top page of Google
While all the abovementioned things help you get a position in rich snippets, you first need to get a first-page ranking. Hence, you also need to complement the rich snippet strategy with a first-page ranking strategy with a keen focus on the latter. So, closely follow the best SEO practices for getting your site featured on the first page of Google. It involves optimizing content, working on technical SEO like identifying/fixing any broken links, responsive web design, best sure experience in terms of speed, availability, and uptime, and tick marking all the major checkboxes for the latest search engine guidelines.
