#ParthaShorts Quick SEO Wins | Legally “Steal” Featured Snippets
Log into Google Search Console.
In the Settings Menu of the left-hand side click on SEARCH RESULTS.
Change the Date (above boxes above the graph) to LAST 28 DAYS.
Click on AVERAGE CTR and AVERAGE POSITION boxes (above graph).
Ensure the results are set to QUEIRES.
Find all keywords (QUERIES) where you are ranking position 2 - position 10 (you can use the search filter if you wish).
Make a note of ALL keywords (QUERIES) that you are ranking position 2-10 for.
Take each individual keyword (one at a time) and perform a Google Search, you are looking to see if someone has the FEATURED SNIPPET at the top of the page (NOT all keyword results will have a featured snippet).
You want the Featured Snippet to be text-based, usually a paragraph or a list, but a table is okay too.
If the Featured Snippet is a video you won’t be able to do this. This is for purely text-based Featured Snippets.
I’m currently testing, but I have a feeling that this may NOT work as well if the Featured Snippet is Quora or Reddit (Currently, Quora and Reddit are very hard to outrank, and it’s getting harder as “blackhatters” are purchasing “upvotes” and “comments” to their “answers”).
Double check the Google search page for that keyword to ensure you actually ARE ranking in position 2-10 (Google Search Console does “get it wrong” sometimes, and also you are checking for the “last 28 days”, fluctuations may have occurred in that time).
Click on the Featured Snippet Result and you will be taken immediately to the section of that article where the short block of text that was used in the featured snippet.
Check the heading or subheading just above that short block of text (that was used in the featured snippet). Is the heading using the keyword that you just pasted into Google?
If not, you have a good chance of getting the Featured Snippet when you are ranked on the first page.
If they HAVE used the keyword in the heading/subheading you stand a good chance if you ranked for that keyword from position 2-6, it may be a bit of a struggle if you’re ranked 7-10 (but always worth giving it a go).
Count the number of words in the Featured Snippet (you want to exactly copy this as much as possible, while remaining “unique”, explained in the “prompt” below).
Go to your AI tool of choice (or do this manually if you wish) and type in the following prompt
“Please could you rewrite the following paragraph. Please ensure the paragraph you provide me with is unique, but says the same thing, and if possible, with a similar word count.. This paragraph is in answer to the question posed by the keyword, [INSERT KEYWORD, TURN THE KEYWORD INTO A QUESION IF POSSIBLE] Here is the paragraph for you to rewrite [PASTE IN THE TEXT FROM THE FEATURED SNIPPET.] Do you understand?”
Here’s what that looks like.
And here’s the result.
Go to your article to edit.
If the keyword you have chosen is related to the title of your blog post, paste your snippet immediately below the title of the blog post, NO INTRODUCTION, as I have previous spoken about in this blog post.
If the keyword you have chosen comes later in your text then change the heading/subheading to include your keyword, and then immediately paste your snippet text below the heading.
Publish/Update article.
Go to Google Search Console and “Request Indexing”.
Wait 7-10 days.
The “RULES” You Need to Know
You don’t need to do all of this manually if you own Semrush or ahrefs (hopefully you know how to look up your page one ranking keywords that have a Featured Snippet).
Okay, this is something that has worked quite well, BUT, the state of the current Google results, as I mentioned the other day, seems to be rewarding “authority”, so it may not be as successful as previous years, but hey, it will take you 5-10 minutes to do per article.
That being said, you are obviously only do this for keywords that you are actually ranking on page one of Google for.
Therefore, Google already deems your article “good enough” to rank on page one (I don’t want to go into the ins-and-outs of some keywords ranking based on backlinks and authority, whereas other keywords have a “content gap” on page one, so lower authority websites rank for these, but, this is why many lower authority sites are ranking, i.e. the keyword has a “content gap”, no-one’s covering the topic very well)..
I’ve mentioned that I don’t think this will work if Quora or Reddit have the Featured Snippet.
I just have a feeling that Quora and Reddit aren’t going anywhere until the next update, and who knows what that will bring (Knowing our luck “Only Fans” will start ranking, Hahahaha!! Btw, if you don’t know what “Only Fans” is, and if you’re of a nervous disposition, please DON’T LOOK IT UP, LOL!!).
BUT, it’s still worth a go, as I say, it only takes about 5-10 minutes for each keyword and each article.
You’ll probably find that you have certain articles that, hmmm, let’s say that ranks for 10 keywords in the 2-10 positions.
DO NOT do this for ALL 10 keywords in ONE ARTICLE ←– This would be considered manipulation and spam.
The maximum times I would do this on an article is TWICE, and that is only if the keywords I’m ranking for have DIFFERENT Featured Snippets.
If you have LOTS of keywords for ONE article that have positions 2-10, and the Featured Snippet is the SAME for ALL those keywords, choose the keyword that has the MOST IMPRESSIONS.
If you want to update your articles a bit while doing this, that’s fine, but do not change the “intent” behind your article.
I have done this, but all I did was to create some more images, add a Table, and embed a couple more videos.
Furthermore, I also looked for additional internal link opportunities.
So, I made changes (on top of adding a new snippet of text), but I didn’t really change the structure, the wording, or the intent behind the article.
If you have been “hit” by The Helpfyul Content Update (HCU) last Spetember you MAY NOT see immediate results.
Remember, that HCU was a “sitewide penalty” (not manual but a type of “penalty” nonetheless).
Therefore, to “recover” you probably won’t see things happen until the NEXT HCU is released (they are no longer being “officially rolled out”, i.e. you won’t know about an HCU until it’s over).
BUT, there is nothing wrong with doing this will all your 2-10 ranked keywords, and when HCU does roll around next, and you’ve been working on your site in the meantime (getting rid of “junk articles” that have produced no traffic, rewrite or update certain articles, been working on your “branding” and “social promotions” and increasing “backlinks” via web 2.0 platforms such as Linkedin, Medium, Quora, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.), then if/when you do “recover” you could see a huge bump in traffic as you suddenly get about 50 new Featured Snippets.
If your website is chugging along just fine then as I’ve mentioned, this is usually a “quick win”, and you should see results (if any happen) within 7-10 days.
This has worked VERY WELL previously, BUT, as I say, Google seems to be having a bit of a “funny turn” at the moment (Hahahahahaha!!), so who knows.
BUT, once more, it’s only 5-10 minutes per article (a bit longer if you want to add images, tables, videos, etc.)
And that's your lot, BOOM!
Thank You For Reading
Partha
Recent Comments
33
Thanks Partha,
Still really new at this but already finding that everytime I think I am starting to get a handle on Google it seems to change again :-)
Everyday is a school day though and this post was another educational one
Pete
But what about those on position 1?
But I realize after checking in three sites I have them around 250-300 in each (this should mean they are doing great but as I know they do not), so around 800 in total. You say to check each and every of them? Do you sleep sometimes? I do.
Jovo aka Jabut
Yep agreed.
Funnily enough, I was thinking the same and said to Diane that it goes to show how much the SERPs have changed in the last 18 months.
You would think for each keyword ranking position 2-10 you would get at least one click per day, but something I said a few weeks ago, everything has been "pushed down" in the SERPs, so ranking number 1 in 2024 is the equivalent of ranking number 4 or 5 from a few years ago,
Don't bother with position 1 in GSC, it can't differentiate between Featured Snippet (position 0) and position 1 in GSC.
So, it will cause a lot more work if you search "number 1s" and find that you already have the Featured Snippet yourself.
Plus, if you are ranking "number one", even if it's not visible "above the fold" I wouldn't tamper with the article until it's time to update (new information, the article hasn't been touched for 3+ years, etc. I would usually say the same for position 2 and position 3, but as you know, those two positions are now three-quarters of the way down the page in current 2024 SERPs)
Unfortunately you are right about posts pushed down.
Thanks for the explanation, sounds logical.
BUT, I am still puzzled about your sleeping habits.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Don't worry, it's all good... 10pm - 6am about 28 days a month!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I think my brain just works faster than most people's, LOL, and occasionally, I can't even keep up with my own thinking.
A strange detail shown in the screenshot, the system offers me to unfollow Diane but not you, the same with your other reply to me above.
No, how could I, BUT puzzled with the offer (which has vanished meanwhile, so you are safe).
If you have a huge amount of keywords, (792!), it is easier to export them to a Google sheet, and then sort them by position.
As you identify each one that has a snippet, then you can highlight it on the spreadsheet.
Click on the box at the top of the relevant column, which should be Box E, and click the drop-down arrow.
Now, select "Sort Sheet A to Z."
Yes, I know we are sorting numbers but it still works!
There's probably another way, but that's how I do it!
Diane, already within GSC when you click a few times you can have them arranged by position.
Surprisingly, it's not taking as long as I thought it would, doing batches of 50, at the end of the working day, which is when I do the easier tasks, that don't require much concentration!
See more comments
Awesome!
This is worth doing.
One question, though;
When you say:
-> "Double check the Google search page for that keyword to ensure you actually ARE ranking in position 2-10 "
- is it enough to go to your "every-day-Google-use" or is it better to double-check it using an incognito (private) window?
Thanks a lot,
Mike.
PS; Now when I think about that, I think the answer might be; "if it is ranking in the incognito window, then it makes even more sense to do this"
Hey Michal,
Yep, check in an incognito tab just to "make sure".
GSC will usually get it right, even "normal Google search" will usually get it right, but just check in incognito to ensure that you are 100% ranking on page one for your chosen keyword.