In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, RevLocal is featured as one of our Top SEO Agencies. Check out their profile here.
When was the last time you did a Google search? Probably within the past few days, right? Depending on what you searched, you may have seen a snippet of information at the top of the page answering your query.
This featured snippet of info is considered a zero-click search. Basically, what this means is that a consumer (or yourself) is looking for an answer to a question and the search results were able to return an answer without needing to click into a specific website.
As zero-click searches rise in popularity, the thought has crossed the minds of many of how these searches will affect business owners and traffic to their websites.
While it might seem scary, there are many benefits to zero-click searches. To help, this blog is going to break down zero-click searches in more detail so you can better understand them.
What You Should Know About Zero-Click Searches
When a query is submitted, and Google is able to provide a high-level answer without a consumer needing to click to a specific website and do more research.
Google displays zero-click searches in what they call a Featured Snippet.
Keep in mind, though, that not all searches will return a zero-click search or Featured Snippet. For example, a consumer searching for a local business will most likely return the local pack/map section instead.
It’s also important to note that only one zero-click search will appear at a time. As a business, your website is competing against all other relevant websites on the internet for this Featured Snippet spot on Google.
How to Appear in Zero-Click Searches
So, what can you do to increase the odds of your business’s website being featured in a zero-click search? Let’s talk about the different tactics you can consider.
Answer Common Questions
When it comes to the content on your website, you want to make sure you answer common questions that searchers have. However, you want it to flow naturally in your content, such as in blogs or news articles. You don’t want to place content on your website just because you want your business to be featured in a zero-click search.
Just like you don’t want to keyword-stuff your website, you also don’t want to place content on your site that doesn’t make sense or feels out of place. This can hurt your credibility with not only followers but search engines, too.
Make Sure Your Content Is Optimized
Having content on your site is great, but you need to make sure it’s optimized for SEO. When you’re optimizing your content, make sure everything is up to date, use relevant keywords, use alt text in your images and link back to your website (when possible).
Believe it or not, 62.5 percent of people never actually click on the search results. Why? It’s because they use voice search. So not only do you need to optimize your content for SEO purposes, but voice search, too.
Voice search devices will typically read the info from a zero-click search or a Featured Snippet first. If there’s not a simple answer to a query, the voice search device will say “Here’s what I found on the web” and feature the search results.
Final Thoughts
While zero-click searches are continuing to grow and are a helpful resource to consumers, they shouldn’t be the most important part of your marketing strategy.
One of your business’s main goals should be to have your webpages on the first page of relevant search results. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that search engines make the ultimate decision on if your business will be featured in a zero-click search.
Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t featured in a zero-click search. As long as you’re answering common questions and making sure your website and content are optimized, you’re already increasing your odds.