Google is the go-to source for all sorts of information. Over the years, the folks behind the search engine have made it even easier to get the info you need in a matter of mere seconds. For some of your search queries, you may notice a separate box with brief answers. Google calls this a featured snippet block, but most people just call it an answer box. The answer box includes the requested information, the link to the webpage that has that information, the webpage title, and the URL. Check out this video and read below to learn a few tricks for getting your content into answer boxes.
Why You Want to Be in an Answer Box
You want your website to be in featured in an answer box because it’s the zero rank. In other words, it’s positioned above even the first search result. Being featured here will get you more clicks than if your website was anywhere else on the page—even as the first organic search result.
How to Get into the Answer Box
Google’s answer boxes are prime real estate, and competition is fierce. Luckily, as the videos explains, there are a few tricks that digital marketing companies use to get their clients this coveted zero ranking.
First, do your keyword research, and look specifically for queries that ask broad questions. You can also look for search queries that already produce answer boxes. It’s possible to have your website leapfrog over the one currently in the featured snippet, simply by offering a better answer. Google will prefer your information if it:
- Is more accurate.
- Is formatted better.
- Includes more literal language.
For example, let’s say a user types in the search query, “give dog a bath.” Google would give preference to a webpage with the headline, “Give Your Dog a Bath” instead of a webpage with the title, “Fun Ways to Clean Fido’s Fur” since the first headline is more literal and relevant to the query.
How to Enhance Your Answer Box Traffic
Some people have concerns that if a search engine user receives the information they’re looking for in a featured snippet, they won’t bother to click through to the website. So far, these concerns seem unfounded. Google keeps its answer boxes brief, and so you can entice users to click on your URL by promising that there is more good stuff to find out on the webpage. For example, the end of an answer about defeating a video game level might look something like this: “There’s also a secret code that gamers have been using to unlock more levels.” Naturally, diehard gamers will click on your URL because they want to know the secret code.
The daily operations of your business require your full focus. Let the digital marketing team at Pennington Creative handle your search engine optimization and content marketing needs. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you grow your business’ online presence.
