Thread by @farrah_writes

Many websites aim to make Google's ✨ featured snippet ✨, but few are able to do so.

When you know what to optimize for, it becomes a piece of 🍰

At least 3 of my articles for @blgsmth have made position 0️⃣

In this 🧵, I share 5 tips for getting a #featuredsnippet ⤵️

@blgsmth 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗜: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀

What is a featured snippet?
These are the boxes appearing top of the usual Google search results giving searchers a direct answer to their query, like the photo below.

Why are they tricky?
According to @semrush, only 19% of keywords trigger them

@blgsmth @semrush Why aim for them?

They:
⬆️ mobile, voice, and general search engine visibility
⬆️ click-through rates (CTR)
⬆️ traffic

@blgsmth @semrush There are 4 different kinds:

✅ paragraph
✅ list (unordered & ordered)
✅ table
✅ video

Google is also testing new types:
🔜 from the web
🔜 Other sites say

(source: seroundtable.com/google-from-th…)

@blgsmth @semrush Now you know the basics,

🎶 can we skip to the good part🎶 (＊insert TikTok background song＊)

@blgsmth @semrush 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗜𝗜. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘀

𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝘁𝘀.
Look at what comes up in the SERP a term you're eyeing and determine how you can create a better, more helpful content summary.

@blgsmth @semrush 💡 Tip:

Optimize for the snippet type than the one showing up on the relevant search because Google will likely choose one that follows the current ranking type.

eg: If a paragraph snippet is ranking, optimize for a paragraph snippet as well.

@blgsmth @semrush 𝟮. 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀.

They're less competitive & reveal search intent.

Also, according to @semrush, 55.5% of keywords composed of 10 words had a featured snippet.

@blgsmth @semrush 💡 Tip:

You can find low-difficulty keywords w/ a thorough #keywordresearch process, like ours at @blgsmth:

theblogsmith.com/advanced-keywo…

@blgsmth @semrush 𝟯. 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗤&𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁.

According to @semrush, 29% of FS queries start with questions like:
- How
- Why
- Do
- Can

These words reveal informational intent, which snippets aim to answer.

@blgsmth @semrush 💡 Tip:

Check these sites for question ideas:

❓ @Quora
❓ @Reddit
❓ AnswerThePublic
❓ AlsoAsked
❓ Google’s People also ask section

@blgsmth @semrush @Quora @Reddit 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Break up each section using subheadings so readers and search engines can easily find what they’re looking for.

@blgsmth @semrush @Quora @Reddit 5. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.

Featured snippets are usually
➡️ 300 characters
➡️ 42 words, or
➡️ 2-3 sentences long.

💡 Tip:
Use the inverted pyramid method, which starts with a specific answer to the question.

(Source: ahrefs.com/blog/seo-copyw…)

@blgsmth @semrush @Quora @Reddit 💡 Tip:
Make sure the answers are objective. No personal opinions.

💡 Tip:
Don't use complicated terms. Aim for an 8th-grade reading level because half of the U.S. population reads below that level.

You can use the @HemingwayApp to simplify your sentences.

@blgsmth @semrush @Quora @Reddit @HemingwayApp There you have it, these are 5 of the 10 tips I shared at the @blgsmth blog.

Want to learn more?

Check out my article, which features insights from our SEO kween @rochelleleads. ⤵️

theblogsmith.com/how-to-get-a-f…