Data-backed insights on highlighted bit optimization
Around one-fifth of all keywords activate a highlighted snippet
99 percent of all included snippets tend to appear within the first organic position and take control of 50% of the screen on mobile phones, driving higher-than-average click-through rates (CTR).
The secret to included bit optimization lies in a few particular areas: long-tail- and question-like keyword strategy, date significant material that comes at the right length and format, and a concise URL structure.Google has actually always been pretty hazy on any details about winning featured snippets. This held true when they were first presented, making them something companies thought about to be the cherry on top of their SEO efforts, which is still mostly the case. Having first-hand knowledge about the value and power of highlighted bits, Brado coordinated with Semrush to conduct the most comprehensive research study around featured bit optimization to uncover how they actually work, and what you can do to win them.
Revealing the highlights from a Featured snippets study that analyzed over a million SERPs with highlighted snippets present, this post unwraps actionable recommendations on amping up your optimization strategy to finally win that Google prize.
General patterns throughout the featured bit landscape.
With billions of search queries run through the Google search box every day, our study discovered that around 19 percent of keywords set off a featured bit. Why does this even matter? Featured bits are known to drive greater CTR-- as another study revealed, they are responsible for over 35 percent of all clicks.
Further proving the tremendous power of featured snippets, our study showed that they take up over half of the SERP's property on mobile screens.
Combine 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 a lot of cases triggered by long-tail keywords (indicating particular user intent), and you'll get the reason behind incredibly high CTR numbers.
Are some industries most likely to set off featured bits?
In the research study, we specified markets by keyword classifications, finding that, certainly, included bit volume is inconsistent throughout various sectors.The top industry, seeing an included bit in 62 percent of all cases, is Travel and Computer & Electronic devices, followed by Arts & Home entertainment (59 percent), and Science (54 percent), while Real Estate keywords lag behind all the rest with just 11 percent of keywords triggering a featured snippet.
featured snippet optimization insights on keyword classifications that set off.
Yet on a domain level, the industry breakdown varies a little, with Health and News sites having comparable featured snippet volumes.
You can discover the complete market breakdown within the research study.
Included snippets are all about makes, not wins.
Simply hoping your content will win you a featured bit isn't enough-- as our study revealed, it's all about hard-earned content optimization outcomes.
1. Enhance for long-tail keywords and questions.
When it comes to optimization and keywords, employ 'the more the better' reasoning.
Our research study found that 55.5 percent of featured bits were activated by 10-word keywords, while single-word ones only showed up 4.3 percent of the time.
Something even better than long-tails is questions. 29 percent of keywords triggering a featured bit start with concern words-- "why" (78 percent), "can" (72 percent), "do" (67 percent), and in the fewest cases, "where" (19 percent).
included bit optimization insights on concern keywords that activate.
2. Utilize the best material length and format.
The SERPs we analyzed consisted of four types of highlighted bit: paragraphs, lists, tables, and videos:.
70 percent of the results revealed paragraphs, with an average of 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) generally featured 5 rows and 2 columns.Videos, whose typical period stood at 6:39 mins, showed up in just 4.6 percent of all cases.
Of course, don't blindly follow this data 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 amount, so if you have a high-performing piece that includes a 10-row seo Expert Gold Coast 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 ends up, URL length matters in Google's choice of a site that is worthy of a featured snippet. Attempt to adhere to neat site architecture, with 1-3 subfolders per URL, and you'll be more likely to win.
Simply for recommendation, here is an example of a URL with 3 subfolders:.
xyz.com/subfolder1/subfolder2/subfolder3.
4. Make regular material updates.
While fresh-out-of-the-oven material can be preferred by Google, 70 percent of all content making it into the featured bit was anywhere from 2 to 3 years of ages (2018, 2019, 2020), meaning as soon as again that content quality matters more than recency, so you shouldn't fret that putting a date on it will work versus you.