How I Get Google Featured Snippets 80% of the Time
My easy bake recipe for higher traffic and revenue
Over the last few years, I’ve developed a Google Featured Snippet Formula to get featured snippets up to 80% of the time.
In this article, I’ll show you exactly how I do it.
What Is a Google Snippet?
A Google snippet is a short description of a webpage that appears in search results.
The snippet generally includes the title of the page, as well as a few lines of text that describe the page’s content. The purpose of the snippet is to give users a brief overview of the page so that they can decide whether or not to click on it.
Google snippets are generated automatically by Google’s algorithms, and they are typically based on the content of the page itself.
However, there are a few things that webmasters can do to influence the way that their snippets appear in search results. For example, you can use the “meta description” tag to provide a brief description of their page, which may be used as the basis for the snippet.
In addition, you can use structured data to provide Google with information about your page, which may be used to generate a more informative snippet.
Overall, the Google snippet is a valuable tool for both webmasters and users. Providing a brief overview of a webpage helps users to find the information they need, and it also helps webmasters to promote their pages.
But snippets have nothing on Featured Snippets — those are traffic goldmines.
What Are Featured Snippets?
Google answer target results are essentially featured snippets that show up at the very top of the search engine results page in response to a user’s question.
These featured snippets are pulled from a webpage’s content and are meant to provide a direct answer to the user’s query.
Google answer targets:
- Can be either a text box, image, or video
- Typically appear above the regular search results
Here’s an example:
Google answer targets first began appearing around 2014 and have since become an increasingly important part of the search landscape.
While they initially only appeared for very specific types of queries, they now appear for an ever-growing variety of searches. Answer boxes can be an extremely valuable asset for website owners as they provide a direct path to your site from the SERP.
While appearing in a Google answer target can be extremely beneficial, it’s also important to note that these featured snippets are algorithmically generated.
This means that there is no guarantee that your site will appear in position zero, even if your content is relevant and well-written.
However, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of being featured.
When creating content for your website, keep Google answer targets in mind. Write content that is clear, concise, and directly related to search intent. That’s how I developed my Google Featured Snippet recipe.
3 Reasons You Should Care About Google Featured Snippets
Google featured snippets are a powerful tool for bloggers and website owners.
By landing featured snippets for your site, you can increase your traffic, improve your SEO, and build your authority.
Here’s a closer look at each of these benefits:
Traffic: Featured snippets are prominently displayed at the top of the search results, which means they get a lot of clicks. If you can get your site featured in a Google featured snippet, you’ll see a significant uptick in traffic.
SEO: Featured snippets are also great for search engine optimization (SEO). They help your articles and website rise higher in the search results, which means more people will see your site. In addition, they can help you build links and improve your overall search visibility.
Authority: Featured snippets also help to build your authority. When you’re featured in a Google featured snippet, people will see that you’re an authoritative source of information. This can help you attract more visitors to your site and boost your business.
My Easy Google Featured Snippet Recipe
Here is my Google Featured Snippet Recipe:
RQ + DA + MD < 300C = Google Featured Snippet
Let’s break that down with explanations and examples.
RQ
RQ stands for “Repeat the question” or “Rephrase into a question.”
If the keyword or topic is already phrased as a question, I just repeat the question.
So, if the keyword is, “How Much Does a Flight to Dubai cost?” I would write that exact question in the introduction.
If, instead, the topic is “Best Cat Food for Picky Cats” I would rephrase the topic into the question, “What’s the best cat food for picky cats?”
After RQ, I go right into the next part of the formula, DA.
DA
DA stands for Direct Answer to the question or topic.
This is the most important part of the formula and it’s imperative that you get it right. With a little practice, I have no doubt that you can do it.
To come up with the Direct Anser, I ask myself two simple questions:
- What do readers want to know most?
- How do I say it as concisely as possible?
A DA is not vague, casual, or unprofessional. The best DAs get right to the point in an almost formal style.
They don’t vaguely summarize.
They don’t skim the surface. Readers will get everything they really need to know from the DA.
Here is a good example of a DA:
MD
MD means “More details”. If there is space left in the featured snippet, give the reader more information they want to know.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the next most valuable thing I could share?
- What else does the reader need to know?
- What else might the reader want to know?
You can fit a surprising amount of information in the answer target paragraph.
< 300C
From experience, Google answer targets under 300 characters seem to win more featured snippets.
I know that doesn’t seem like a lot of space, but once you’ve written hundreds of these, you can find ways to fit all kinds of details in less than 300 characters.
As odd as it may sound, I sometimes struggle to fill up 300 characters.
Update: Here is a link to a YouTube video I created showing you an even easier way to get Google Featured Snippets.
Google Featured Snippet Examples
I love examples when I’m learning, so I wanted to share a few more examples of featured snippets.
Here are two that I think will help you write your own.
Example #1:
The following is the featured snippet by TheArtofManliness.com for the search, “how to write a love letter”:
How to Write a Love Letter
1. Start off by stating the purpose of your letter. …
2. Recall a romantic memory. …
3. Now transition to a section about the things you love about her. …
4. Tell her all the things you love about her. …
5. Tell her how your life has changed since meeting her. …
6. Reaffirm your love and commitment.
Writing a clear and detailed list is one of the best ways to land a Google Featured Snippet.
Especially for “how to” articles.
Example #2:
Here is Google featured snippet by Conicet.gov for the search phrase, “Can a computer talk like a human?”:
It is now more and more common to have different computer systems performing tasks humans can do such as playing chess, talking or recognizing objects. This machine’s capacity of imitating human reasoning is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Here’s a good video that shows even more examples of how to write these Google Answer Targets:
Final Thoughts
Even if you follow all of this advice, there is no guarantee that Google will award your website with a featured snippet. However, I have been able to gain many snippets with these tips.
Here’s wishing you much success on your blog or website!
Related content:
- My YouTube Video: The Easiest and Fastest Way to Get Google Featured Snippets
- How I Make $5,000 Each Month Writing About Emerging Topics
- How To Get Traffic to Your Website Without Social Media
- How To Get Traffic to Your Blog if You Have 0 Visitors
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