It is a trend for Google to roll out the algorithm updates once or twice every month. The primary goal of these Google algorithms is to make the search experience easy and more relevant to the users. SEO professionals are often bombarded with questions from clients on why the update caused a sudden drop in rankings in Google Search. In this blog, we will learn about the featured snippet and the recent Google Algorithm update.
What is a featured snippet?
When a user searches for a keyword or asks a question, Google shows a search result in a special featured snippet block at the top of the search results page. It provides users with direct answers to their questions. It is also called “position 0.” The featured snippet block includes a snippet that is extracted from the webpage along with the title and URL. Featured content gets additional brand exposure in search results. They can significantly improve search rankings.
For example,
Advantages of Featured Snippets
- Increase in brand awareness
- Increase in website traffic
- Increase in organic conversions
There are different types of featured snippets and they are
- Text Snippet
- Video Snippet
- List and Table Snippet
With the latest change in the Google algorithm, featured snippets may no longer be the eye-catching position on the SERP. Change is inevitable and it isn’t very easy to accept.
The highlight of the Featured Snippet Update
The featured snippets will not be repeated on page 1 organic listings. According to Danny Sullivan from Google, “the change will affect 100% of all search listings worldwide. The featured snippets count as one of the 10 webpage listings shown on the first page of search results. A webpage will get one opportunity to appear on Page 1“.
The algorithm ensures that the SERP is not cluttered, providing only the relevant information.
For instance, webpages in a featured snippet position will have their organic results pushed back to the top of Page 2. To be a featured snippet, the webpages had to rank in top results.
After the new update, there is no duplication on the first page.
There are a few scenarios that you may come across while searching for a specific keyword.
- There may or may not be repeated URLs featuring on page 2 of SERP.
- The images that feature along with a featured snippet don’t have a web search listing and hence don’t fall into the scope of deduplication.
- The featured snippet update doesn’t apply to interesting top stories or video snippets.
- If your page features in the “People also ask” box (in one of the questions), your webpage will still appear on the first page of SERP.
If you are optimizing your content to get into the featured snippet block, it is time to say goodbye to your search traffic and retain your regular listing on the front page of SERP.
It is too early to make any hasty decisions on account of this recent update. However, featured snippets are there for queries and branding.