Should I Avoid Searches with Featured Snippets?

[Mireno]

I'm trying to build an informational site since some months ago. I'm looking for some topic related keywords but featured snippets from Google seems to reach every search. I don't think I should try to rank on those searches cause Google is stealing content and answering to the user's question in the SERPS. So most probably the user will not click on your site.

Do you think is still viable? Do you get traffic from featured snippet searches? Do you try to focus on searches with long answers and avoid short ones?

 

[Ryuzaki]

I'm looking for some topic related keywords but featured snippets from Google seems to reach every search

How are you going to avoid keywords with featured snippets if they're in every search? Someone gets those snippets. Why do you assume it won't be you? You can do "snippet optimization" pretty easily and take the snippet once you rank on the front page.

I don't think I should try to rank on those searches cause Google is stealing content and answering to the user's question in the SERPS. So most probably the user will not click on your site.

I think you should. Yes, Google is stealing our content in an effort to be an "Answer Engine" instead of "Search Engine". They also tell us not to scrape their results, but they scrape ours. They tell us not to bot and crawl them, but that's their entire business model.

None of that has stopped tons of people from becoming millionaires and even billionaires. If you don't like any of that, there is an alternative which may feel even worse to you, which is paying them to cut to the front of the line and to the top of the SERPs with paid advertising.

Do you think is still viable? Do you get traffic from featured snippet searches?

Yeah, it's still worth doing. If you're position #10 and then steal the featured snippet, you just jumped ahead to spot #1 without needing the links. You'll get waaaay more traffic. Featured snippets get a lot more traffic than all the past studies have inferred.

I've yet to see a featured snippet that really satisfactorily answered my questions, but if it seems like it's capable of it, I'll click through to that article. That's the truth about most featured snippets. They're clickbait. They give a glimpse of the answer, but never the full answer. And thus they get the click.

 

[LinkPlate]

I don't think I should try to rank on those searches cause Google is stealing content and answering to the user's question in the SERPS.

If you have an ear infection - would you google it and then read the snippet, then end your search? I think not! Most people will probably click on multiple links and read multiple articles to get knowledgable about their condition.

If you want to plug a hole in your wall. Would you google how to plug a hole in the wall, read the snippet and leave? I think not! Because there are multiple ways to plug a hole in the wall!! You will want to find something that works for you!

Point is, every search query is different and structured snippets are not necessarily the holy grail or even the only answer/option.

Not sure who needs to hear this here, but here we go again. Google wants to make their search page as useful as possible so you don't up leaving! Their goal is for you to depend on them and eventually drive you back to click on their ads.

 

[ToffeeLa]

Especially for an informational site there is an argument that, for SERPS viewers, being 'picked' by Google for a featured snippet adds to your perceived authority.

 

[Mireno]

How are you going to avoid keywords with featured snippets if they're in every search? Someone gets those snippets. Why do you assume it won't be you? You can do "snippet optimization" pretty easily and take the snippet once you rank on the front page.


I think you should. Yes, Google is stealing our content in an effort to be an "Answer Engine" instead of "Search Engine". They also tell us not to scrape their results, but they scrape ours. They tell us not to bot and crawl them, but that's their entire business model.

None of that has stopped tons of people from becoming millionaires and even billionaires. If you don't like any of that, there is an alternative which may feel even worse to you, which is paying them to cut to the front of the line and to the top of the SERPs with paid advertising.


Yeah, it's still worth doing. If you're position #10 and then steal the featured snippet, you just jumped ahead to spot #1 without needing the links. You'll get waaaay more traffic. Featured snippets get a lot more traffic than all the past studies have inferred.

I've yet to see a featured snippet that really satisfactorily answered my questions, but if it seems like it's capable of it, I'll click through to that article. That's the truth about most featured snippets. They're clickbait. They give a glimpse of the answer, but never the full answer. And thus they get the click.

Definitely @Ryuzaki, I got the point, you're right. I've changed my mind with this matter and I'm going to try "snippet optimization", let see results! Thanks for your time, appreciate it!

If you have an ear infection - would you google it and then read the snippet, then end your search? I think not! Most people will probably click on multiple links and read multiple articles to get knowledgable about their condition.

If you want to plug a hole in your wall. Would you google how to plug a hole in the wall, read the snippet and leave? I think not! Because there are multiple ways to plug a hole in the wall!! You will want to find something that works for you!

Point is, every search query is different and structured snippets are not necessarily the holy grail or even the only answer/option.

Not sure who needs to hear this here, but here we go again. Google wants to make their search page as useful as possible so you don't up leaving! Their goal is for you to depend on them and eventually drive you back to click on their ads.

I was talking about searches with a short answer. Example: What is a smartphone?
But you're totally right @LinkPlate, taking those featured snippet will benefit more than harm me, for sure. Thanks!

Especially for an informational site there is an argument that, for SERPS viewers, being 'picked' by Google for a featured snippet adds to your perceived authority.

Yeah @ToffeeLa, I didn't think it in that way. That's true, if you're featured it's like you're part of Google in eyes of most no-geeks. Thanks!

 

[adammc]

We get a lot of traffic from snippets, so it's definitely worthwhile. One little trick I've used well is to provide the image google is looking for.

On many featured snippets, there is an excerpt with a link to the author, alongside an image. Oftentimes this image comes from another site.

By feeding Google an image with an exact match name of the search query snippet i.e can-dog-eat-fish.jpg, you can snag yourself the image spot in the snippet which a lot of people end up clicking.

And even though the link takes you through to Google images first, we've still found snippets where we have just the image result in a lot of Google traffic

 

[irishchap]

I was doing some research on featured snippets as I was going to spend the day optimising my articles that dont get the snippet. But after reading online some articles from Moz and Search engine journal said it can actually get less clicks. Can anyone vouch for this?

 

[ToffeeLa]

Well, I don't read SEJ or Moz so I have no idea what their reasons were. But my answer would be the old SEO one: it depends.

If you are #1 below a snippet and you get the featured snippet, you are still #1 (in the snippet) but lose your ranking in the 'natural' results. So you may lose CTR comparing the snippet listing to the organic listing.

But...

If you are, say, #5 and get the featured snippet listing (and lose your organic one) the lower CTR on the featured snippet may well still send you more visitors than the #5 organic listing did.

 

[real]

Any idea why this thread keeps showing in the New Posts even after I have viewed it few times already?