Over the years, with the advent of internet-enabled mobile devices, Google has evolved the way it lists and displays search query results. One of the most notable, but controversial changes in my opinion, has been the addition of more and more featured snippets to search queries .

This may seem like a good deal to many, but it’s actually quite bad for organic link rankings. So, does this mean that featured snippets and organic content marketing strategies work against each other? Or can they be used together to get your existing content to the top of Google search results? 

Let’s find out. 

What is a featured snippet? 

Featured snippets are small snippets or selections of content from different web pages that relate to your search query. They are used to display answers to your search term, without having to visit the page itself. 

Typically, phone number library these featured snippets are placed above the regular Google SERPs, but below the advertised pages, all to give users more value for their queries. Take, for example, the Image below. When you search for “how to make croque monsieur”, you see that there are no ads for this search query, the first SERP appears just below the grid of the best croque monsieur recipes. 

The top of the search results shows a grid of curated recipes for how to make a croque monsieur. Instead of having to scroll down to look at each link separately, efficient customer support the search engine pulls together all the links that match my search intent. 

That’s why the featured snippet is so important. While your actual link may rank a little lower in the SERPs, afghanistan business directory your featured snippet will ensure that people see your content if that’s what they’re looking for. 

The Importance of Featured Snippets

The whole purpose of content we publish online is to address and solve a consumer’s question. Now, for the consumer to know that your content can help them, your content needs two key things.

• It must be visible when a consumer searches for it
• You must answer their question, as clearly as possible.

For the first factor, being visible today means ranking high in the SERPs. But what if your content is able to address the search query better than other results, you can rank even higher than the first link in Google’s SERP. 

This is something that every SEO Professional hopes to achieve in order to increase their site’s visibility and traffic. Initially, featured snippets allowed a site with a featured snippet to get two results on the first page, one as a featured snippet box and the other as a ranked page. 

However, nowadays, a link displayed on a featured image box does not appear in the SERPs. This is because Google wanted to clean up the display of results, making it easier to find the right solution. 

It is true that aiming for featured snippets through organic marketing techniques increases your website traffic. But it also helps you create content that is designed based on consumer needs, which you need to do to establish your brand credibility in the market . 

Like the recipe grid above, featured snippets can take a variety of forms, from simple question answers, to ordered and unordered lists, and even videos . Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of featured snippets.