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Position Zero: Everything You Need to Know

Being ranked 1st in the SERPs has been the goldmine of search engine optimization (SEO) for many years, but now top-ranked websites have vacated the spotlight for position zero, the new top-ranked spot in Google.

 

Today, many website owners competing for the position. If you want to land on position zero, we will provide information to help you understand what position zero is about and tips on how to claim the spot.

 

What Is Position Zero?

Also known as Featured Snippet, position zero appears above the organic search engine results. This position is the prime location for brands that want to build awareness and drive organic traffic to their website. 

 

With voice search becoming increasingly popular, Google uses the featured snippet to provide answers to voice searches. Position zero can be a paragraph, ordered or unordered list, table, or video, depending on the search term. Take, for example, a video snippet for a search query “how to transplant a seedling”.

 

Here are the top benefits of claiming position zero in Google Search:

 

  • More SERP territory to occupy 
  • Stronger presence in voice search results
  • Higher click-through rates (CTR)

 

Why Is Position Zero Valuable?

Initially, marketers opposed the introduction of featured snippets in SERPs can be detrimental to traffic, causing people to abandon their websites. Contrary to the belief, position zero significantly boosts your stats, including visits, CTR, and conversions. In addition to its many benefits, it also helps build your brand expertise. Providing a clear and direct answer to a question shows a powerful statement about your brand. 

 

What Types of Content Qualifies for Position Zero

Some content cannot be displayed as a featured snippet. However, specific types have a higher potential of making it to position zero.

  • Comparisons

Most shoppers are more likely to read comparison content to get more information about a certain product, such as gadgets or new phones, before buying. Websites that use tables to compare products are more likely to be displayed in featured snippets. 

  • Provide Answers to Questions (how, what, when, where)

Most information found on the Internet is created to provide answers to the user’s questions. When creating content, think about the most queries people use. This will increase your likelihood of landing on position zero.

  • Definitions

Providing definitions to complex terms are commonly displayed as featured snippets in search engines. Google algorithms determine which content has the best definition. 

 

  • Lists

A featured snippet of content with lists of information often comes in the form of bullet points or numbered lists. Once you click through, you will see more bullet points and additional information. 

  • Step-by-Step Instructions

Instructional content helps solve a certain problem. Take, for instance, how to make a simple cabinet box.  This type of content can be in the form of text or tutorial videos. To optimize your content, choose relevant keywords to increase your chances of claiming the spot. 

 

Optimizing Your Content for Position Zero in Google

 

Many marketers strive to secure the most coveted spot in Google. But what can you do to land in position zero?

Luckily, there are several things you can do to optimize your content to claim this prestigious spot and capture the attention of your target audience. 

  • Understand the Featured Snippet

Before aiming for Position Zero, it’s essential to comprehend a featured snippet. It’s a concise summary of information that appears at the top of some search results. Google pulls this snippet from a relevant webpage to provide users with quick answers to their queries.

  • Target Question-Based Queries

Featured snippets often appear for question-based queries like “how to”, “what is”, or “why does”. Tailor your content to address common questions related to your industry or niche.

 

  • Create High-Quality Content

Content remains king, even when aiming for position zero. Craft well-structured, informative, and engaging content that answers the target question thoroughly. Clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language is key.

  • Focus on on-Page SEO

On-page optimization plays a vital role in achieving Position Zero. Pay attention to your title tag, meta description, headers, and content formatting. Incorporate relevant keywords throughout your content.

  • Provide Clear Answers

Google prefers concise answers that directly address the user’s query. Include a brief, precise answer to the question in the opening paragraph of your content.

  • Use Lists, Tables, and Bullets

Structuring your content with lists, tables, and bullets can increase your chances of getting a featured snippet. These formats make it easier for Google to extract relevant information.

  • Leverage FAQ Sections

Websites with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sections are a goldmine for featured snippets. Compile and answer common questions, structuring them in a clear and organized manner.

  • Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup is a tool designed to help search engines understand what the content is all about. Adding appropriate schema markup to your content can enhance its chances of appearing as a featured snippet.

  • Target Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are more specific queries that often trigger featured snippets. Identify relevant long-tail keywords and create content that thoroughly addresses these queries.

  • Monitor Competitors

Analyze your competitors who have secured featured snippets. Identify the strategies they’ve used and brainstorm ways to provide even more comprehensive and valuable answers.

 

  • Create “How-to” Guides

Step-by-step guides are a favourite for featured snippets, especially for instructional queries. Create detailed “how-to” guides that walk users through a process.

  • Utilize Videos and Images

Visual content, such as videos and images, can enhance the appeal of your content for featured snippets. Use these elements to complement your written information.

  • Optimize for Voice Search

As voice search becomes more prevalent, optimizing for voice-friendly queries can increase your chances of claiming position zero. Consider the natural language people use in spoken queries.

  • Test and Refine

Achieving position zero might require experimentation and optimization. Continuously monitor your content’s performance and be ready to adjust your strategies based on the results.

 

Position zero offers a unique opportunity to capture users’ attention and establish your authority in your field. By understanding the intricacies of featured snippets, tailoring your content to user intent, and optimizing your page structure, you can increase your chances of claiming this valuable spot and driving more traffic to your website.

Outsourcing SEO: Top 5 Reasons Why You Should

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an integral part of any business operating a website. It helps boost organic rankings in search engines, which increases traffic and leads for your business. 

Today’s businesses recognize the importance of SEO in their online activity. Without SEO, your business has no online presence and your target audience would not know about the existence of your business. With so many responsibilities, many business owners simply do not have the luxury of time to focus on online marketing. That is why many are outsourcing their SEO efforts to ensure it is executed properly and yields the best results possible. 

However, there are still other businesses that remain unsure about outsourcing their SEO. To help you decide, we have rounded up a quick list of why you should consider outsourcing to a trusted SEO agency and the benefits that come with it.

  1. Save Money and Time

Many do not realize that outsourcing SEO to a team of dedicated experts is both cost and time efficient. A reliable SEO agency has everything they need—knowledge, expertise, and experience—to get your online marketing campaign started to build and strengthen your online presence and promote your business offering to your target audience. 

Working with results-driven SEO professionals ensures that your benefits far outweigh the cost of your investments. It allows you to save more money in the long-term as you do not have to pay for costly traditional marketing, such as TV, radio, or print ads, to reach your potential customers. 

Additionally, with their dynamic expertise and innovative strategies and tools, SEO professionals launch your campaign as soon as possible and optimize your web pages to rank them higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Also, some SEO agency offers services that include developing fresh, engaging, and relevant content that ranks and converts This allows you to focus on other important aspects of running your business. 

  1. SEO Requires Expertise

SEO is a complex field that requires a thorough understanding of how the search engine works. If you are not familiar with SEO, it is best to leave the job to the real “king of the trade.” SEO professionals not only possess the right skills and experience in handling online marketing campaigns, but they are also highly knowledgeable in using the most current and effective SEO marketing tools to ensure more refined improvements. 

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

  1. Get Better ROI

Hiring SEO experts ensure the delivery of the best results. Even if you have successfully ranked your website for specific keywords, working with the professionals ensures you positioned your website on the first page of SERPs. Even if you have someone with SEO skills in your company, it can be challenging for one person to achieve long-term goals. Hiring an SEO agency can help you stand a better chance of acquiring more organic traffic, leads, sales, and better ROI. 

  1. Ensure White Hat SEO Practices

A professional and reliable SEO company only uses white hat practices to improve your website ranking without the risk of being penalized by Google, which is what “black hat” SEO techniques can do. For instance, an SEO company using black hat methods will acquire backlinks from spammy websites and directories, which can hurt both your SEO and domain authority score. 

  1. Stay on Top of the Latest Tools and Trends

For an SEO campaign to be successful, it requires the use of proper tools and an understanding of changing trends. For instance, Google search algorithms change numerous times a year. While these changes are minor, they are still crucial for the optimization and ranking of your website. 

SEO experts are always up-to-date with the trends in Google algorithms, as well as with the new tools in SEO. Outsourcing to the experts gives you access to all updates in search engines and SEO. 

What The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Means For SEO

Over the first quarter of 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has disrupted almost every area of our lives. It has created a “new normal”, making people reorder their priorities and make changes to their daily lives. The pandemic has also caused a blow to many businesses that have to roll with the punches thrown by declining economic activities as people change their habits.

SEO plays a key role in helping businesses stay relevant in the time of coronavirus. To further protect their businesses from the effects of the ongoing pandemic, it’s best for business owners and marketers to review their current SEO strategies for the year.

Here are some SEO considerations you need to look at and how you can incorporate them into your marketing strategy in response to the impact of COVID-19.

Changing search behaviours

Consumer behaviour and search trends will largely vary at this time, both for essential and non-essential businesses. Pharmacies and grocery stores are more likely to see a surge of search queries on the products and services they offer. Oppositely, a decrease in search interests on brands, products, and services considered non-essential may be observed this time as consumers prioritize their most basic needs. 

Brands should consistently track and analyze data like organic search sessions and conversion rates, making sure to update forecasting and historical reporting to assess the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour. Google Search Console, Google Trends, and your keyword tools will be your best friends during this time. Use them proactively to understand changes in search behaviour and interests based on relevant keywords and topics related to your company and industry.

Below are the important data and analytics to note:

  • Sessions and impressions may decline. But if rankings remain as is, the decrease can be a result of COVID-19’s effect on search interest.
  • Sessions and impressions may remain as is. However, a low conversion may mean that users are still interested in your products or services but are not ready to purchase yet.

Limited bandwidth and availability resources

During this pandemic, businesses may have limited development resources. Rather than implementing new features in your website, it may be best to prioritize fixing bugs that are directly affecting your site’s performance. Check to see if search engines are indexing, crawling, rendering, and ranking your website to prevent potential issues in the future.

Beefed up content strategies

It’s important for businesses to acknowledge the specific effects of COVID-19 to their industry. This way, you can create clear messaging around the disease. If your business is deemed essential or directly affected by COVID-19, you might want to make a dedicated page to capture traffic related to coronavirus and then add links to your website’s key pages.

You can also try producing a series of video content. As people become more active online, they will have plenty of time to watch videos. Consider creating relevant content to capture their attention. Study your SEO insights to gather possible topics for your video content. 

Most importantly, when developing your messaging, keep in mind the importance of social distancing. Consider making content on creating DIY projects around your product/service from which users can derive value while on home quarantine. Avoid using language that runs counter to COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Main Image Credit: Engin Akyurt | Unsplash