Position zero, do you want it?
Nobody may want or like position zero.
It is not possible to like or have zero position in any field except in SEO (search engine optimization) of digital marketing.
If you ask a sportsman, he/she will laugh at your question. If you ask a student, possibly he/she will chase you to hit at your meaningless question.
However, when you ask a digital marketer or SEO expert, he/she will say, of course, that is the position I am trying to get for my website.
Why?
Because staying ahead of the curve in SEO and digital marketing is paramount.
Search engine algorithms are becoming increasingly sophisticated and securing the desired “position zero” has emerged as the milestone of SEO.
This prime real estate at the top of search engine results not only drives organic traffic but also establishes authority and credibility in your niche.
In this blog post, you are going to learn the complexity of Position Zero. You are going to reveal powerful strategies to leverage this game-changing SEO hack for your exceptional online visibility and success.
Table of Contents
What is Position Zero?
Google doesn’t use the term position zero.
It is called “Featured Snippet” by Google.
Position zero or PO is the term used in SEO or by digital marketers or SEO specialists.
You can call it a golden spot of the SERP and a completely no-brainer position for SEO.
It is the top result in a Google search, directly above organic listing and providing you with a concise answer to your query without requiring you to click through the website.
The featured snippet is Google’s way of delivering quick, relevant information to you directly on the search results page. Its content is organic, not sponsored.
Position Zero is indicative of the direction search engines are moving towards, placing a greater emphasis on user experience and instant gratification.
You must understand and optimize your content for this position so that you can stay ahead in the competitive landscape of SEO.
Position Zero is usually encased by borders. It can include:
- Featured snippets
- Knowledge panels
- People also ask
- Top stories
- Images
- Videos etc.,
It is valuable for you because it can:
- Build industry recognition and authority
- Improve brand awareness and visibility
- Improve your CTR
That’s why when your brand becomes the featured snippet about a topic, that demonstrates your authority and expertise. You’ve become the definition of that specific concept.
When and Why did Google introduce it?
Before going to the main topic of this blog post, let’s first understand a brief history of the featured snippet and why Google introduced it.
The history of the featured snippet or position zero is long back.
Google started experimenting with generating quick answers long ago.
- Back in 2013, featured snippets were called “quick answer boxes”, providing you with information from Google’s knowledge base.
- In around 2015, Google started showing good quality “quick answer” boxes and the searchers started to refer to them as featured results.
- It was in 2016 when they were finally officially announced by Google as Featured Snippets.
- A year later, in 2017, Google provided more feedback options to encourage users to share their opinions about featured snippets.
- In 2018, Google’s Public Liaison for Search Danny Sullivan Published a very detailed explanation of featured snippets introducing a few very important developments.
You have got a brief history of position zero.
Now, let’s find out the answer to why Google introduced it.
It looks straightforward the answer, i.e., to provide quick, concise answers to users’ queries directly on the search result page.
However, if you think deeply about the reasons behind why and the necessity of it, you have to understand a little further:
What does Google want to provide you and why?
The primary goal of the Google search engine is to provide you with the most relevant, accurate, and useful information in response to your queries. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. By delivering high-quality search results, Google aims to fulfill several objectives:
- Relevance: Google strives to ensure that search results are relevant to your query.
- Accuracy: Google aims to present information that is factually correct and reliable.
- Usefulness: Google prioritizes content that is helpful and actionable for you.
- Accessibility: Google’s search engine is designed to be accessible to you across different devices and locations.
What does Google want by providing you with the information?
Google strives to keep its visitors within its platforms for many reasons:
- User Engagement: The longer users spend on platforms, the more opportunities there are for them to interact with content, engage with ads, and contribute to the overall user experience.
- Data collection: By collecting personal data on users’ behavior, preferences, and interests, Google can refine algorithms, enhance targeting capabilities, and deliver more relevant content and ads.
- Monetization: Keeping users within platforms enables Google to control the user experience and monetize their traffic more effectively.
- Competition: Google’s Search engine operates in highly competitive industries where attention is a valuable commodity. It wants you to keep in its platform to prevent from capturing your attention by competitors.
- Ecosystem lock-in: By providing a comprehensive ecosystem of services and keeping users within their platform, Google can increase user loyalty and retention.
Therefore, the featured snippet was driven by Google’s commitment to delivering the most relevant and useful search results as well as their recognition of the growing demand for instant access to information.
It not only enhances user satisfaction by providing immediate answers but also helps Google showcase authoritative sources and improve the overall usability of its search engine.
The latest update of Google also proves the purpose of the featured snippet on their search engine. It conveys the message its search engine is following the latest trends and developments.
What emphasizes the latest algorithm update of Google?
The latest update of Google’s algorithms in 2024 emphasizes originality, depth, and value for the readers.
Websites were removed and deindexed that relied heavily on thin or duplicated content.
User experience and E-E-A-T takes center stage with the latest algorithm changes.
Websites focusing solely on keyword optimization instead of holistic UX design principles will be penalized.
Google has explained that featured results were their way to adapt to the latest trends such as search to mobile and voice search.
With the development of AI, Google is refining the content, following the future pattern of user search behavior, and developing mobile search and voice search.
Does the Position Zero increase the CTR?
You have already learned that position zero comes at the top of the search result page.
It is presented by search engines in a different style from the rest of the search results.
Position zero occupies more real estate on the search result page and they catch the eye.
So, what do you think, does it drive more clicks?
It depends.
The impact of featured snippets on click-through rate (CTR) can vary depending on various factors such as:
- The type of featured snippet
- The search intent
- The content surrounding the snippet
However, a study done up to 2 million keywords by Ahrefs concluded that featured snippet reduces the overall number of clicks.
According to them, a regular #1 ranking page with no featured snippet above it gets 26% of all clicks.
Whereas when there’s a featured snippet at the #1 position, it only gets 8.6% of clicks (on average), while the page that ranks right below it will get 19.6% of clicks.
This happens because the goal of the position is zero.
The goal of position zero is to give you an instant answer to your queries so you won’t have to click the link for more detail.
One question arises here if position zero does not attract more clicks on the links, then
why it is called SEO Gold.
Position zero is called SEO Gold because it offers significant benefits for your website’s SEO effort.
It offers a golden opportunity to significantly enhance your website’s search visibility and organic traffic.
Besides these key reasons, here are more reasons that make featured snippets SEO gold:
- There is no way to rank in a featured snippet if you don’t already rank anywhere on the front page of Google. This indicates that you have to be in the top 10 positions first with your SEO effort to reach position zero. According to Ahrefs data, it is 99.58% positive that Google only features pages that already rank in the top 10. In conclusion, you need more SEO effort to get in the Featured snippet.
- It is your golden chance to push your competitors further down the page as position zero comes on the top occupying a large piece of real estate of SERP. Besides it also helps you to steal the clicks from your competitors when they are in the #1 position on the search result page.
- It is estimated that more than half of the online searches will account for voice searches through mobile devices. The emerging trend of this time. Search engines use position zero information for voice search results. Position zero will add one more step to your SEO effort and SEO trends.
- Google’s selection of content for the featured snippet signifies its authority and credibility (as trusted sources of information by users) in addressing a particular query.
- Being featured in the snippet increases brand exposure and recognition, as users associate your website with providing valuable and authoritative information in your industry or niche.
- It is not guaranteed, but sometimes a featured snippet can improve your overall search ranking for that particular keyword.
Position Zero Content Formats and Types
You should understand that the formats and types of content featured in position zero depend on various factors, including your intent, the quality and relevance of the content, and Google’s algorithmic preferences.
It is up to you to optimize your content for featured snippets. How do you present it and in which format?
Optimizing the content for featured snippets involves understanding the types of queries that trigger them.
And structuring content in a way that aligns with your user intent and Google’s criteria for selection.
The most common featured snippet formats are:
- Paragraphs
- Lists or listicles
- Tables/charts
- Multimedia (especially Images and Videos)
These are the common content types when you optimize for position zero choosing one of the formats you have just learned, you will get a high chance to feature in position zero.
- Questions like who, what, when, where, and why.
- How–to (guide or method) OR instructions
- Definitions
- Comparisons
- Price/cost information
- Top/best lists
- FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What are the ways to be in Position Zero?
There are no guaranteed ways to achieve the coveted position zero spot.
It’s because Google’s algorithms are constantly evolving, so what works for achieving position zero today might change tomorrow.
You should be continuously adapting your SEO strategies based on updates and new best practices is essential too.
However, there are some strategies to follow that you can employ to increase your chances of being in position zero.
Here are some key ways to optimize your content for featured snippets.
Target the right opportunities or existing opportunities: Not all searches have featured snippets. Look for queries that already have snippets and see if you can create even better content to take the top spot.
Focus on answering user intent or Think like a consumer: Featured snippets are designed to provide quick and informative answers. So, your content should directly address the specific question a user is likely asking.
Target long-tail keywords (phrases of 6 or more words): These are phrased as questions, as these are more likely to be featured snippets.
This picture explains that search engines don’t care how popular the keyword is. If you have great in-depth content, your chance to rank in featured snippets is high.
As the pictures describe the majority of featured snippets are triggered by long-tail keywords.
Structure your content effectively (On-page and Off-page SEO): Use clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make your content scannable. This helps Google identify the most relevant parts of your content for a featured snippet.
Provide concise and clear answers: Aim to answer the user’s question within the first paragraph or two of your content, ideally in a single, well-formatted sentence.
Optimize for readability: Use short sentences and paragraphs, and avoid complex jargon.
Support your answer with evidence: Include relevant data, statistics, or links to authoritative sources to bolster your answer’s credibility.
Stay up-to-date: Regularly update your content to ensure it reflects the latest information. Google favors fresh and accurate content for featured snippets.
FAQs
What is an example of a snippet?
Here are some examples of snippets:
Definition box
A snippet that provides a concise definition or description. For example, when you search for “rich snippets”, there’s a definition box at the top of the results.
Table snippet
A snippet that provides data pulled out from a page as an answer in the form of a table. For example, for queries like “What are trouser sizes”, a table snippet might display values such as prices, rates, years, or other numerical data.
Movie trailer
A short preview of a film that is meant to get viewers excited to see the film when it is released.
Other types of featured snippets include Paragraphs, Listicles, Videos, Double features, and Accordion or “People also ask” section snippets.
Is position zero good for SEO?
Featured snippets can be good for SEO because they can increase your website’s click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rates. Featured snippets appear above organic search results, and are often taken from by voice-activated assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo. According to Smart Insights, ranking first for a search term and landing the featured snippet for that term results in a 31% increase in traffic compared to just having the number 1 position.
How does Google choose featured snippets?
Google uses automated systems to select pages that are good for featured snippets based on the type and intent of the search query. According to Ahrefs, Google only uses pages that are ranking on the first page of the search results page (SERP). Over 99% of featured snippets are from pages that are already ranking on the first page.
Are Google-featured snippets paid for?
No, Google-featured snippets are not paid for. They are organic results that are determined by search engine algorithms. Featured snippets are the first results on the first page for your keyword(s). They provide concise information directly in search results and are regarded as position zero. This means that you can only earn a featured snippet if your content answers the query better than other competitors.
What is the difference between rich snippets and featured snippets?
Rich snippets are enhanced search results that provide additional information, while featured snippets are selected snippets that appear above organic search results.
Rich snippets are also known as “rich results”. They provide extra details about a webpage, such as ratings, images, and prices. Rich snippets are more visually appealing and often have a higher click-through rate. Examples of rich snippets include reviews, how-tos, and recipes.
Featured snippets are short snippets of text that appear at the top of Google’s search results. They provide users with a quick answer to their search query. Featured snippets are more likely to appear when users enter informational search queries.
How many words is a position zero?
According to SEMrush, the average featured snippet is 40–60 words long, or about 300 characters. The most common word count for list snippets is 40–45 words, and the frequency of longer snippets decreases after that. This is because there is only so much space for text in a featured snippet box, so it has fewer words than paragraphs.
What is the value of featured snippets?
Featured snippets can help websites increase their visibility and drive more organic traffic. They can also help websites establish themselves as authoritative sources in their industries.
Are featured snippets hard to get?
According to AIContentfy, it’s not difficult to win featured snippets. You can increase your chances by creating clear, concise, and structured content, and targeting long-tail keywords. For example, you can use bullet points or tables to optimize content for snippet selection.
Final Words
There will be always a battle to be in 1st position of SERPs in the SEO World.
You have already gotten the way or won the battle because you have already learned to be above the 1st position i.e., position zero.
This is that spot at the top of search engine results pages (even above the #1 ranking) that offers unparalleled visibility and authority, driving organic traffic and establishing credibility in your niche.
Your chances to be in position zero lie in understanding the details and in creating high-quality content that directly answers your users’ questions in a clear, concise, and informative way.
So, go forth, optimize your content, and beat the competition with the knowledge you got from this blog post.
Can you do that?
What do you think? Will this blog post help you to get into position zero?
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