Position zero on Google is the most sought-after spot for websites. It’s the holy grail of SEO. Seen as a major source of qualified traffic, questions remain about how to get there and what part featured snippets play in it. You’ll find all the answers in this article!
The “Zero” Position
Position zero lets you outrank every other organic search result on Google. This is the best spot your website can hold, since it brings greater visibility and, with it, real recognition.
The main way for a website to land in position zero is by setting up featured snippets.
What Is a Featured Snippet?
Featured snippets are a way Google presents a search result that directly answers what a user typed in. The information shown in a featured snippet is pulled from a website that Google’s algorithms have judged the most useful match.
In the example below, notice that the text shown is the featured snippet, pulled from Libération’s website, which answers in bold the question: “How long do butterflies live?”
Featured snippets usually show up for informational searches, such as definitions, comparisons, or answers to questions.
The Different Types of Featured Snippets
You come across them every day without even realizing it while browsing the web. Whether in the form of text, video, or images, there are five different types of featured snippets.
The Paragraph Snippet
Paragraphs make up most featured snippets on Google (close to 82%). The information being searched for, or the search terms themselves, appear in bold within the snippet. That’s what you see in the butterfly example above.
Bulleted or Numbered Lists
List-style snippets work well for laying out steps or a hierarchy. They’re commonly used, for example, in recipes.
Tables
This format shows up less often in Google’s featured snippets. Still, it appears for searches involving numbers, such as rankings or comparisons.
Images and Videos
Video clips and images can also show up as featured snippets. Both formats are used to answer searches in a more visual, concrete way.
What’s the Difference Between Rich Snippets and Featured Snippets?
Rich snippets are extra bits of information developers can add to their code to tell Google what kind of content a webpage contains. This helps the search engine give more accurate, useful recommendations in organic search results.
For a recipe, examples of rich snippets would include reviews, cooking time, or even calorie count.
Why Featured Snippets Matter for Your SEO Strategy
Traffic Volume and Quality
Featured snippets give users a short, clear answer. You might think this would stop traffic to websites altogether, since users wouldn’t need to click through to get the information they’re after. But even though that can happen, a featured snippet actually boosts visibility and drives more clicks to your website. Depending on the topic, some searches can be answered in a few words, while others call for more context and detail, which means a near-guaranteed click to your site.
On top of that, a featured snippet helps build a positive image for your website, positioning it as the go-to source on a given topic. This adds credibility and helps create a better experience for visitors. As a result, you draw in traffic that’s genuinely interested and willing to spend time on your website.
Mobile and Voice Search
Mobile search volume, growing much faster than desktop, is good news for featured snippets. On the go and often in a hurry, users want a quick, clear answer to what they’re searching for, and featured snippets deliver exactly that. What’s more, featured snippets take up an average of 50% of a phone screen, so they’re hard to miss!
With voice search becoming more and more popular, featured snippets also have a big part to play, since voice assistants pull from them to answer users’ spoken questions.
3 Good Practices for Reaching Position Zero
The three main tactics for reaching position zero on Google aren’t easy. But this is an area with plenty of room to grow and very little competition, so go for it!
Identify the Right Searches
Before trying to knock a website out of position zero, it’s best to find searches where no featured snippet has been claimed yet.
To find the right ones to target, focus on long-tail searches (four words or more) built around questions with a solid search volume.
Optimize Your SEO Content
SEO plays a major part in featured snippets. Content written around a specific question needs to be genuinely useful so that Google favors your page.
- The structure should be clear, with well-organized headings (H1, H2, H3) and a meta title built around your target keywords.
- Stick to short, information-packed paragraphs with headings phrased as questions. Add in lists and tables where they’ll help your readers.
- Pay attention to your internal and external linking, which has become essential both for how your website ranks and for giving visitors a smoother experience browsing your site.
- Don’t forget to add alt text to your images and clean up your URLs.
Be Mobile-Friendly
As mentioned above, mobile searches are on the rise, and it’s worth making the most of that. Your website needs to be built for mobile and tablet. Keep in mind that your pages should have a simple design with information that’s easy to read!
1, 2, 3, Go!
You now have everything you need to land in position zero on Google. Your SEO agency in Montreal can also help you build a high-performing SEO plan and get featured snippets working for you to boost your visibility!
