Data-backed insights on highlighted snippet optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords set off a featured 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 bit optimization depends on a few specific locations: long-tail- and question-like keyword method, date significant material that comes at the right length and format, and a concise URL structure.
Google has constantly been quite hazy on any information about winning highlighted bits. This held true when they were initially presented, making them something businesses considered to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still mainly the case. Having first-hand knowledge about the worth and power of featured bits, Brado teamed up with Semrush to carry out the most thorough research around featured bit optimization to uncover how they actually work, and what you can do to win them.
Exposing the highlights from a Featured bits research study that analyzed over a million SERPs with highlighted snippets present, this post unwraps actionable ideas on amping up your optimization method to finally win that Google prize.
General patterns throughout the featured snippet landscape.
With billions of search questions run through the Google search box each day, our study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords activate a highlighted snippet. Why does this even matter? Featured snippets are known to drive higher CTR-- as another research study discovered, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Additional showing the immense power of featured snippets, our research study revealed that they use up over 50 percent of the SERP's realty on mobile screens.
Combine this with our findings that 99 percent of the time included bits take over the first natural position, and that they are in the majority of cases set off by long-tail keywords (suggesting specific user intent), and you'll get the factor behind incredibly high CTR numbers.
Are some industries more likely to activate highlighted bits?
In the research study, we defined industries by keyword classifications, finding that, indeed, included snippet volume is irregular across numerous segments.
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 drag all the rest with just 11 percent of keywords setting off an included bit.
included snippet optimization insights on keyword classifications that trigger.
Yet on a domain level, the industry breakdown varies a little, with Health and News websites having comparable featured snippet volumes.
You can discover the full industry breakdown within the research study.
Featured bits are all about earns, not wins.
Simply hoping your material will win you an included bit isn't enough-- as our research study showed, it's all about hard-earned content optimization outcomes.
1. Enhance for long-tail keywords and concerns.
When it concerns optimization and keywords, employ 'the more the much better' logic.
Our study discovered that 55.5 percent of featured bits were triggered by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones just showed up 4.3 percent of the time.
Something even better than long-tails is questions. 29 percent of keywords activating an included snippet begin with question words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the least cases, "where" (19 percent).
featured bit optimization insights on question keywords that activate.
2. Use the best content Discover more length and format.
The SERPs we evaluated included four types of featured bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the outcomes showed paragraphs, with approximately 42 words and 249 characters.
Lists was available in as the second-most-frequent highlighted snippet (19 percent), with an average of 6 item counts and 44 words.
Tables (6 percent) usually included 5 rows and two columns.
Videos, whose average duration stood at 6:39 minutes, showed up in just 4.6 percent of all cases.
Naturally, do not blindly follow this data as the principle, rather see it as a good starting point for featured-snippet-minded material optimization.
Plus, bear in mind that content quality always dominates quantity, so if you have a high-performing piece that includes a 10-row table, Google will just suffice down, showing the blue "More rows" link, which can even improve your CTR.
3. Do not overcomplicate your URL structure.
As it ends up, URL length matters in Google's option of a site that should have a highlighted snippet. Try to stay with cool site 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 three subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make frequent content updates.
In the "to include or not to include a post date" problem, based upon our featured bit analysis, we 'd suggest that you publish date-marked content.
The majority of Google's featured snippets consist of 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 material can be favored by Google, 70 percent of all content making it into the featured snippet was anywhere from two to three years of ages (2018, 2019, 2020), indicating once again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't stress that putting a date on it will work against you.