SEO On-Air: Featured Snippets and Increasing No-click Results

In this episode, we cover:

Today, we are talking to Joe Robledo, the Vice President of SEO at 97th Floor, a top-tier digital marketing agency, building out SEO strategy for clients like Salesforce, Capital One, and LogMeIn. Joe holds a degree in Sociology with an emphasis in business from Brigham Young University.

In this episode, he will talk on featured snippets and increasing No-Click Results.

Stay tuned for the next podcast episode, where our guest, Edward Ritter, speaks about schema.

Show notes

• [04:30-05:16]  Is there any difference between “Answer Box” & “Features Snippet”?

• [05:19-08:15]  What do you think made Google introduce featured snippet? 

• [08:51-12:06] Can you tell us why most websites are using the no-snippet tags?

• [12:23-15:22] Is there any defined approach to get on Google’s featured snippet?

• [15:24-17:41]Why does the featured snippet keep changing from time to time for a given search result?

• [18:07-19:56] Would you recommend videos as a strategy to get more clicks from Google? 

• [20:09-22:07] What’s your opinion on Google’s recent feature, where you click on the snippet and it takes you directly to the part of the content where it’s located on a webpage?

• [22:03-26:00]  Will there be an alternative to Google now that it’s behaving more like a knowledge portal?

Show Notes Explanation

Hello everyone, this is Senthil, welcome to another episode of SEO On-Air. Love it or hate it, zero-click searches are growing. For those who don’t know what zero-click search is, it is when the answer you are looking for is displayed on the top of a Google search result and your intent is satisfied instantly without having to click on the link. 

The ultimatum for an SEO is to get to the top rankings, but these answer boxes offered by Google affect them as well as content creators. To discuss this topic, we have Mr. Joe Robledo, the VP of SEO, at 97th Floor. Welcome to the show, Joe. 

Time Stamp: 04:30-05:16

Is there any difference between “Answer Box” & “Features Snippet”? 

I think we kind of run into this issue when we come across a lot of SEO terms. I prefer to call it a featured snippet. Answer box was the term that was used for it earlier, back when they first came around. However, Google now goes with the term featured snippet for them. 

Time Stamp: 05:19-08:15

What do you think made Google introduce features snippet? 

• I think Google made a lot of effort to ensure that its results are useful to the users.
• With the introduction of featured snippets, the SERP has become a base of the initial level of information that searchers tend to look for. 
• I can see the intersection between the need to get quick information and Google’s ability to fulfill that need.
• Voice search is also coming pretty heavy over the last couple of years, which creates a lot of dependency on featured snippets.

Time Stamp: 08:51-12:06

Can you tell us why most websites are using the no-snippet tags?

• For a long time, the featured snippet was an ideal place for sites to be. They were getting the exposure they needed.
• But people started noticing that it had an impact on their CTR. 
• That’s why they want to rank for organic listing but not want to be pulled into featured snippets.
• I think you need to look into the Search Console click data to determine whether you should use the no-snippet tags.

Time Stamp: 12:23-15:22

Is there any defined approach to get on Google’s featured snippet?

• For me, the process that comes to mind is to run some initial research in the search result list.
• Take a look at the site that is getting featured, check how their website is configured or what features they are utilizing to understand better.
• You need to tailor a specific strategy based on the SERP you want to rank for rather than abiding by a particular checklist. 

Time Stamp: 15:24-17:41

Why does the featured snippet keep changing from time to time for a given search result?

Essentially it ties back to the user intent around a given topic. So, it has something to do with user behavior in the SERP. It is one thing for which we have to be on our toes all the time. 

Time Stamp: 18:07-19:56

Would you recommend videos as a strategy to get more clicks from Google? 

• If you are seeing YouTube videos being pulled more often, then why not?
• I don’t know if there’s any correlation between the algorithm of YouTube and Google, but Google definitely sees videos as something that could be helpful to the users.
• If you have the bandwidth and budget, definitely create YouTube videos, but I’ll also make sure that SERP is displaying them often. 

Time Stamp: 20:09-22:07

What’s your opinion on Google’s recent feature, where you click on the snippet and it takes you directly to the part of the content where it’s located on a webpage?

• I feel like this is one of those things to keep an eye on. 
• It’s going to be interesting to see what effect it has on those publishers that offer gated content.
• From a general perspective, I actually like the idea of Google sending people to a specific part of your article and give viewers more mobility.
•  It will give them the freedom to read the content above or below that specific part and encourage them to dive deeper into your content.

Time Stamp: 22:03-26:00

Will there be an alternative to Google now that it’s behaving more like a knowledge portal?

• As far as dethroning Google, it’s a tough road to go, but I think there are a few competitors to watch out for.
• I’m excited about Ahrefs. They have fantastic toolset, and they also announced a couple of years back that they’re working on their search engine.
• I like how far they have come in terms of SEO, and it will be fascinating to see how they go forward in the future.