Everything you need to know about position zero and why it’s key to improving your SERPs ranking on Google.
Nowadays, most marketing activity is aimed at getting found online. In particular, improving your SEO (search engine optimisation). And it’s hardly surprising when 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine and 75% of people never scroll past the first page.
However, instead of boring you with the same basic SEO principles, we wanted to share a unique opportunity which many businesses simply aren’t exploring – namely position zero.
In this blog, we explain what position zero is and share practical ways of using it as a means of improving your SERP (Search Engine Result Page) ranking on Google.
What is position zero (featured snippets)?
Position zero is the term used to describe the featured snippets section at the top of the first search page on Google.
Position zero content sits between the paid adverts (PPC campaigns) and organic results. In other words, it’s the highest possible SERP ranking you can achieve without dipping your hand in your pocket.
Google selects the most relevant content for position zero based on its relevancy to the search query and other SEO ranking factors.
Why is position zero on Google essential to businesses?
If you’re able to create quality content, particularly copy that answers key search queries, you can increase your online presence.
In fact, since position zero was first introduced by Google in 2014, page click-through rates (CTR) has risen from 2% to 8% and those who have successfully created featured snippet content have enjoyed a 516% increase in sessions.
One of the most positive aspects of position zero is that you don’t have to be ranked number one on Google to qualify for this accolade. In some cases, businesses who organically rank on page 4 or 5 on Google have still managed to claim position zero for certain search terms. So, if you’re operating in a crowded industry, this could be a perfect way of leapfrogging competitors in the race to boost traffic.
How to rank for position zero on Google
To achieve position zero on Google, you need to focus on a few elements.
1. Find opportunities
If you haven’t already, you should think about using SEMrush to find whether you have any featured snippets already. It’s also a good way of seeing what your competitors’ featured snippets are and finding opportunities to create better versions of that content to dethrone them.
To access this data, go to “Positions” in “Organic Research”.
2. Identify the right keywords
It’s also worth finding unique searches your target audience will be searching for and identify keyword gaps. Since the purpose of position zero snippet content is to answer search queries, start by thinking of the “who”, “what”, “why”, “how” and“where” questions they’ll be typing into Google.
If associated queries using those terms already have dozens of answers, think of search queries containing the words “costs”, “doing”, “getting”, “forming”, “making”,“cause” and “does”.
Pair these up with your standard keywords and you may find a winner. For further guidance, use answerthepublic.com. This handy site will give you an idea of what people are searching for based on the keywords you enter.
3. Do the SEO basics right
To give yourself the best possible chance of achieving position zero on Google, you need to make sure your website page adheres to all the basic SEO principles.
• Create content that clearly answers the question
• Use clean code and tagging that Google can easily read
• Include positive user engagement signals – including a user-friendly structure
• Get people to shout about it and backlink to your page
• Provide a concise and direct answer to the question in the content and use extra information, imagery and data when writing the content
• Format the content in the right way – i.e. H1/H2 titles, meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags in imagery and SEO-friendly URLs
Get help from an SEO specialist
If you’d rather leave this kind of thing to a professional, we’re here to help. Our team provide expert SEO services in Worcestershire designed to improve your SERP ranking on Google and enhance your chances of achieving position zero.
To find out more, get in touch with Design in the Shires today.
