Google Snippets Email - Increasing Traffic

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   WryLiltposted 8 years ago

   This morning I received an email from a Hubpages staff member regarding Google snippets (ie, Google Answer box) with this link.
   
   I would just like to say that this is something VERY worthwhile. I have been working on ranking this way for over a year, and so far am doing quite well with it.
   
   Remember how years ago I advised everyone to start doing MFP (Made For Pinterest) images? This is another thing equivalent to that in terms of how it will impact you. If you ignore all other marketing advice on the site, listen to Hubpages on this one - work on getting into that magical spot on the Google page.
   
   High traffic to all!

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      NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I knew when they launched featured snippets it would have a significant effect. Will have to do my research in getting to that position.

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   chef-de-jourposted 8 years ago

   Very helpful, many thanks. I'll be giving it a go - fingers crossed!!

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   Robinposted 8 years ago

   Thanks, Wrylilt!  I recommend that everyone reads that post.  Before we moved to the vertical domains, HubPages was not showing up in the Featured Snippets box.  Our vertical sites are now showing up and it has shown an increase in traffic for those pages.  This is an area of focus on Premium edits.  If you have opted out, we recommend that you opt back in. 

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      WryLiltposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's fantastic to hear! This, in conjunction with my fave method of keyword research (Google Suggest box) is sure to increase traffic. Luckily for me I have a test account I started a few years back, which is perfect for ranking #0!

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   John Garbiposted 8 years ago

   Thank you for the post! I think I'll try it.

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   Glenn Stokposted 8 years ago

   That's a very interesting and well-detailed explanation of Google Featured Snippets. Thanks for that link WryLilt.  And thanks, Robin, for mentioning that this is the area of focus with the Premium Edits. That's good to know and something I will focus on myself when I write future hubs that are related to answering specific questions.

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   Bedbugabscondposted 8 years ago

   #1 First I want to say that WryLilt is an amazing woman and a cornerstone of our industry. She is a leader not just in this community, but in many other places across the web.
   
   2# a long time ago I MFP article, followed it to the letter and STILL see traffic results to this day. Some of which happened in quite unexpected ways.
   
   3# I started learning about rich snippets about two weeks ago, and sort of gave up. I need to do a great deal of research to understand this. I ran my sites in a rich snippets tool and from what I understand I have a lot of work to do. However, considering the success I have had with WryLilt's MFP suggestions, I WILL be taking another look at rich snippets. If she says its great traffic for all, then I accept that as an authoritative statement that we should all pay attention to.
   
   Thanks WryLilt and to the Hubpages staff member who shared the article!

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      Bedbugabscondposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      After posting this I found a rich snippit of one of MY dengarden hubs! It has recently been doing quite well. I was surprised, because I had not taken it too seriously.
      
      I started with a keyword I knew that I ranked for and scrolled to the bottom of the page. I was checking the related keywords against my hub when I stumbled across one that brought up my page in a rich snippit. Now I understand why that hub is doing so well!
      
      These are quite interesting developments, and very exciting!!!!!!
      
      I am excited over these interesting developments.

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      WryLiltposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks bedbugsabscond. I'm not sure what industry I'm a cornerstone of but your post made my day

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   lobobrandonposted 8 years ago

   Exactly! I pointed this out a few months ago when Caloriebee was released. I have a hub that shows up for quite a few terms as a rich snipped. The link is really useful, thanks for the share Susannah. I worked on two of my other hubs which are also on niche sites. But so far they do not show at #0 even though they rank in the top 3 positions. I even looked at the current #0 to see the kind of list they use and tried using the same format. Only time will tell. Let us know how your second account performs in this regard.

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      Robinposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Rich snippets are different from featured snippets.  Markup data in the page is used to create rich snippets on the search engine results page.  The HubPages Recipe Capsules and Ratings Capsules are an example of article markup. You will notice rich snippets as stars next to a review or ingredient information on recipe results.  Here's a blog post with the most simplistic explanation. 
      
      Here are a few things you can do to have the best chance of showing up in the featured snippet box:
      
      1.  Use clear subtitles in tables and bulleted lists.  We know that most readers are coming from mobile and long blocks of text are not ideal on a small device.  Also, it's easier for Google to "read" your page when it has structure.
      2.  Answer the question of your title at the top of the Hub.  You can give a summary in a step by step format, then get into the meat of each step lower in the article.  The step-by-step answer will likely be what shows up in the featured snippet box
      3.  If you use a table (a great way to show up in featured snippets), make sure that the table subtitle is clear and succinct.
      4.  If you are ranking in the #1 or #2 spot but aren't showing up in the featured snippet box, you have a great chance of doing so.  Start with your highest-traffic articles and work down from there.
      5.  If there isn't a featured snippet for you main search term, don't worry.  Google is rolling out more and more every month. 
      6.  Write for your readers not Google.  While these steps are important, if you are writing your article for search engines, it will catch up with you.  Having structure to your article is good for readers and Google. 
      
      Let us know how it goes!  In editing we are finding that showing up in the featured snippet box can happen quickly.  We added content to an article yesterday that wasn't in the featured snippet box and today it is.  Here's an example of a featured snippet result that uses a table. 
      
      The best advice I can give is to work on your highest-traffic articles and update and add content to them as often as you can.

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         lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         OMG sorry I meant featured snippets Exactly! your points are right to the point lol. It should be on the help center in my opinion.

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            Robinposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            It is so confusing!  Rich snippets, featured snippets, knowledge graph, knowledge base, oh my!  I can understand why you might get the language mixed up! 

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               lobobrandonposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Exactly!

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         Bedbugabscondposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks! I need to soak in all the language associated with technology.

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   Dolores Monetposted 8 years ago

   I am still not clear on how to implement the suggestion. Could someone provide a link to a hub,say a before and after look at the difference? It seems as if you are saying that we provide clear and concise facts at the beginning of the hub? Then go on with further, more in depth material?

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   LongTimeMotherposted 8 years ago

   Hmmm. I have a bunch of hubs with #0 status ... and in #1 as well. None of them have had their Editors Choice status returned since our subdomains ceased to exist. So I guess that tells me that EC has no real influence when it comes to Google.
   
   Not exactly sure what it tells me about HP's assessment of my/our hubs.

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