How to Take Control of Google’s Featured Snippets in Search Results?

Google regularly makes (major) updates to the documentation of Google Search Central. On January 5, 2024, Google clarified in their documentation about snippets that the primary source of a snippet is the content on the page itself. The previous wording mistakenly suggested that the structured data and the meta description were the primary sources for snippets. Snippets can play an important role in search engine optimization (SEO). They can help increase the click-through rate (CTR) of a page, which is an important factor for the ranking of a page in the search results. Moreover, they can help generate more traffic to your website. They are displayed at the top of the search results, giving them a great chance to be seen by users. By using snippets correctly, you can improve your SEO and generate more traffic to your website. But what exactly is a snippet, how do Google's snippets work, and most importantly, how can you take control of Google’s featured snippets?

What are snippets?

A snippet is the descriptive or summary part of a search result. The search results sometimes show listings where the snippet describing a page comes before a link to a page, rather than after it, as with standard listings. Results displayed in this way are called ‘featured snippets’. You may find snippets in general search results, in the ‘People also ask’ section, or in the Knowledge Graph.

Google displays featured snippets when their systems believe it helps people more easily discover what they are looking for, both from the page description and when they click the link to read the page itself. They are especially useful for people searching via mobile or voice. Snippets typically contain one listing, but more may appear.

How snippets are created

Snippets come from search results on the internet. Snippets are automatically created from the content on a page. Google's automated systems determine if a page is a good snippet to highlight for a specific search query. Snippets are designed to highlight the content of a page (through a preview of the content) that best relates to the specific search query of a user. This means Google may display different snippets for different queries.

Snippets are thus primarily created based on the content on the page itself. However, Google sometimes uses the meta description if it could provide users with a more accurate description of the page than the content directly taken from the page.

Although Google cannot manually change snippets for individual sites, they always try to make them as relevant as possible. You can improve the quality of the snippets displayed for your pages by optimizing the content on the page, using structured data, or following best practices for creating meta descriptions.

Optimizing page content for snippets

Content is all the information displayed on a page. This can be in the form of text, images, videos, audio, or a combination of these forms. Content can be used to achieve a wide range of purposes, such as informing, entertaining, or selling a product or service. But how do you optimize the content on a page for featured snippets?

Answer a question

Featured snippets are displayed in the search results at the top of the page, directly below the search bar. They are used to give the searcher an immediate answer to their question. So make sure the content on your page answers a question people are asking.

Ensure the content is relevant to the search query

Google uses various factors to determine which pages qualify for featured snippets. One of those factors is the relevance of the page to the search query. So make sure the content on your page is relevant to the search query you want to target.

Ensure the content is well-written and structured

Google wants featured snippets to be useful and informative for the searcher. So make sure the content on your page is well-written and structured. Use clear language and clear headings and subheadings to structure the information.

Using structured data

Structured data is a way to provide information about a page to Google. This information can be used by Google to better understand and index a page, which can lead to a higher position in the search results. You can use structured data to make a page eligible for featured snippets. You do this by adding code to the page that tells Google what the content of the page is and how it can be displayed as a snippet.

Use the correct structured data format

There are different forms of structured data for different types of content. It is important to use the correct format for a page because Google uses the information in the structured data to determine if the page qualifies for featured snippets. For example, if you have a product page, you should use the schema type “Product”.

Use clear and accurate information

The information in the structured data must be clear and accurate. If the information is incorrect, Google will not include the page in featured snippets. Make sure information such as name, description, price, date, question, and answer are entered correctly.

Test structured data

After adding structured data to a page, it is important to test it. You can do this with the schema markup validator from Schema.org. This tool checks if the structured data is correctly formatted and if it is correctly displayed in the search results. If you find errors in the structured data, you can correct them before publishing a page.

Best practices for creating quality meta descriptions

Google sometimes uses the meta description of a page to generate a snippet in the search results if they think it gives users a more accurate description than would be possible based solely on the content on the page. A meta description is generally a short, relevant summary of what a particular page is about. They are like a pitch that convinces the user that the page is exactly what they are looking for. There is no limit to the length of a meta description, but the snippet is shortened if necessary in Google's search results, usually to fit the width of the device.

Create unique meta descriptions for each page on your site

Identical or similar meta descriptions on each page of a site are not useful when individual pages appear in the search results. Where possible, create meta descriptions that accurately describe the specific page. Use site-level meta descriptions on the homepage and page-level meta descriptions on all other pages. If you don't have time to create a meta description for each individual page, try to prioritize the content on these pages; at least create a meta description for the most important URLs, such as your homepage and other popular pages.

Include relevant information about the page content in the meta description

The meta description does not have to be in sentence form only; it is also a great place to include information about the page. In news or blog posts, for example, the author, publication date, or byline information can be mentioned. This can provide potential visitors with very relevant information that might not otherwise be displayed in the snippet. Similarly, product pages can spread the most important pieces of information (price, age, manufacturer) across the entire page. A good meta description can bring all this data together.

The following meta description, for example, provides detailed information about a book, and the information is clearly tagged and separated:

Programmatically generate meta descriptions

For some sites, such as news media sources, generating an accurate and unique meta description for each page is simple: since each article is hand-written, it takes minimal effort to also add a one-sentence meta description. For larger database-driven sites, such as product aggregators, handwritten meta descriptions may be impossible. In the latter case, programmatically generating the meta descriptions may be suitable and is encouraged. Good meta descriptions are human-readable and diverse. Page-specific data is a good candidate for programmatic generation

Keep in mind that meta descriptions consisting of long strings of keywords do not give users a clear picture of the page content, and they are less likely to be displayed as a snippet.

Use high-quality meta descriptions

Ensure that your meta descriptions are truly descriptive. Because meta descriptions are not displayed on the pages that the user sees, it is easy to let this content go. But high-quality meta descriptions can be displayed in Google's search results and can greatly contribute to improving the quality and quantity of your search traffic.

Here are some examples of how a meta description can be improved:

❌ Poor (list of keywords):

✅ Better (explains what the store sells and includes details like opening hours and location):

❌ Poor (same meta description for every news article)

✅ Better (use a snippet from the specific news article):

❌ Poor (does not summarize the page)

✅ Better (summarizes the entire page):

❌ Poor (too short):

✅ Better (specific and detailed):

Preventing snippets or adjusting snippet length

You can prevent snippets from being created and displayed for your site in the search results, or you can inform Google of the maximum length of your snippets. To prevent Google from displaying a snippet for your page in the search results, use the nosnippet meta tag. Use the max-snippet:[number] meta tag to specify the maximum length of your snippet. You can also prevent certain parts of the page from being displayed in a snippet by using the data-nosnippet attribute.

Conclusion

Featured snippets are a valuable way to drive more traffic to your website. They provide users with a quick and easy way to find information, and they can place your website at the top of the search results pages. If you want to optimize your website for featured snippets, it is important to follow the tips and best practices in this blog. By following these tips, you can increase the chances of your website being displayed as a featured snippet.

Need help optimizing for featured snippets? Then contact us. We are a full-service online marketing agency with years of experience in SEO. We are happy to help you optimize your website for featured snippets, so you can drive more traffic to your website.

Frequently Asked Questions about Featured Snippets

Why can featured snippets be removed?

Featured snippets are removed if they do not comply with Google's policies.

How do you report a featured snippet?

If you have an issue with a featured snippet, click on Feedback below the featured snippet. You can report a featured snippet if you believe it:

Violates Google's policies
Contains incorrect or misleading information
Provides an answer you don't like

What is Google's policy for featured snippets?

To ensure that featured snippets are useful for everyone, Google has implemented systems to prevent snippets from being displayed that violate the Google Search content policies or the search features policies:

Harmful content
Deceptive practices
Harassing content
Hateful content
Manipulated media
Medical content
Sexually explicit content
Terrorist content
Violence and gore
Vulgar language and profanity

How can I mark my page as a featured snippet?

You can't. Google's systems determine if a page would be a good featured snippet for a user's query.

What happens when a user clicks on a featured snippet?

Clicking on a featured snippet takes the user directly to the section of the page that appeared in the featured snippet. Scrolling to the position that appeared in the snippet happens automatically.

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How to Take Control of Google’s Featured Snippets in Search Results?