One does not simply implement featured snippets. Featured snippets are earned. Unless you are Chuck Norris. Below are the best ways to earn featured snippets.

Why get featured snippets?

Because you need to take advantage of RankBrain.

Warning, this is not a study made on millions of featured snippets, or tens of millions of keyword analized. Not because we didn’t do that, but because we just want to show you how to rank, with a few examples. Plus, some say (SemRush, CMI, SearchEngineLand, StoneTemple and many more) that over 40% of questions have featured snippets. And the pages that have featured snippets get more than double the usual organic traffic. And featured snippets don’t show up just for question-like queries, quite the opposite: most featured snippets appear on non-question-type queries.

Who is your audience and what exactly would they search on Google? Imagine they either use normal search or voice search, and not necessarily they have no understanding of how search works, but they may be testing the voice search itself, or the way Google provides the answers to their questions. Or they’re just comfortable with voice search or typing full questions in Google Search. Answer these questions for you, and you have done the most important part. Then, write content that answers those questions.

How to answer questions to earn featured snippets?

• Start your answers with: hot to, how do, how does, what is, when is, etc. .
• Answers must be short, concise and have to provide more value than just the direct answer. That value may be a chart, a table, a list of related things, a list of steps or items, a list of images, videos, whatever you may think of.
• Best length for an answer is about 45 words, but that’s just something someone measured.

How many types of featured snippets are there?

We spotted about 11 different featured snippets types, but we’re sure there are plenty more:

 

1. Simple answer with an image featured snippets
2. Featured snippets combined with sidebar
3. Featured snippets with a table
4. Featured snippets with answer and a form
5. Answer and related searches featured snippets
6. Answer plus breadcrumbs plus related featured snippets
7. List results featured snippets
8. List of incomplete steps featured snippets
9. Partial list of steps featured snippets
10. A carousel of images featured snippets
11. Tabbed featured snippets

Are featured snippets permanent?

No, they are not. When a better search result comes along, it will replace yours. Unless you’re Chuck Norris.

We have omitted book search results, lyrics search, travel and accommodation search results, among others. You can share with our readers the featured snippets you found, that are different from the ones that we’ve already mentioned, using the comments area below.