Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords activate a highlighted 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 phones, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The key to included bit optimization lies in a few particular areas: long-tail- and question-like keyword strategy, date significant content that comes at the right length and format, and a succinct URL structure.
Google has actually always been quite hazy on any information about winning highlighted snippets. This was the case when they were initially presented, 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 understanding about the value and power of highlighted bits, Brado coordinated with Semrush to carry out the most detailed research around included 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 analyzed over a million SERPs with highlighted bits present, this post unwraps actionable suggestions on amping up your optimization technique to lastly win that Google prize.
General patterns across the included bit landscape.
With billions of search questions go through the Google search box every day, our study found that around 19 percent of keywords set off a highlighted bit. Why does this even matter? Featured snippets are understood to drive greater CTR-- as another study discovered, they are accountable for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Further showing the enormous power of highlighted snippets, our study showed that they take up over half of the SERP's realty on mobile screens.
Integrate this with our findings that 99 percent of the time featured bits take control of the very first natural position, and that they are in many cases set off by long-tail keywords (implying particular user intent), and you'll get the factor behind incredibly high CTR numbers.
Are some industries more likely to set off featured bits?
In the study, we specified markets by keyword classifications, finding that, certainly, featured bit volume is irregular across various sectors.
The top industry, seeing a featured snippet in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronics, followed by Arts & Home entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Property keywords lag behind all the rest with only 11 percent of keywords setting off an included bit.
included snippet optimization insights on keyword categories that set off.
On a domain level, the industry breakdown differs slightly, with Health and News sites having similar featured bit volumes.
You can find the complete market breakdown within the research study.
Featured bits are all about makes, not wins.
Simply hoping your content will win you an included bit isn't enough-- as our research study revealed, it's everything about hard-earned material optimization results.
1. Optimize for long-tail keywords and questions.
When it concerns optimization and keywords, use 'the more the much better' reasoning.
Our research study discovered that 55.5 percent of featured bits were activated by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones only appeared 4.3 percent of the time.
One thing even much better than long-tails is concerns. In truth, 29 percent of keywords triggering a featured bit start with question words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the fewest cases, "where" (19 percent).
included bit optimization insights on question keywords that trigger.
2. Utilize the right content length and format.
The SERPs we examined included 4 types of featured bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the results showed paragraphs, with approximately 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists came in as the second-most-frequent featured bit (19 percent), with approximately 6 item counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) usually included Find more info five rows and two columns.
Videos, whose typical period stood at 6:39 mins, appeared in just 4.6 percent of all cases.
Obviously, do not blindly follow this information as the golden rule, rather see it as a good 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 includes a 10-row table, Google will merely cut it down, revealing the blue "More rows" link, which can even boost your CTR.
3. Don't overcomplicate your URL structure.
As it turns out, URL length matters in Google's option of a website that should have a featured snippet. Attempt to adhere to cool site architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be more likely to win.
Just for recommendation, here is an example of a URL with three subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make frequent content updates.
In the "to include or not to add a post date" issue, based on our included bit analysis, we 'd recommend that you release date-marked material.
Most of Google's featured bits consist of a post date, with the following breakdown: 47 percent of list-type featured snippets come 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 included bit was anywhere from two to three years old (2018, 2019, 2020), indicating when again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't stress that putting a date on it will work versus you.