Google Featured Snippets for Nonprofits
You may have noticed on a Google Search Results page, that often times the first answer is in a rectangular box (as seen below). This is what the folks over at Google call a “Featured Snippet.” Read on to learn how Google featured snippets for nonprofits work and the way you might receive this placement.
But first, do you even want one??
Marketers have questioned the benefits of being a featured snippet due to how it makes it so users might not click through to the site itself (and positively impact the site’s SEO rankings) if they gather all the information they need right on the results page.
It’s hard to know exactly how featured snippets affect SEO, but we can look at an example for some insight. A client of ArcStone’s has a featured snippet and saw a corresponding spike in traffic that has continued since. It appears that viewers clicked through to their site in order to read more beyond the information within the featured snippet.
ArcStone’s conclusion?
It’s still up in the air as to whether the data points to click-throughs increasing or flatlining due to having a featured snippet, but in my opinion, having your site/brand up there in that spot in front of all the eyeballs is worth it, even if it means people simply looking for that answer don’t click through. – Joli Skow, Marketing Manager at ArcStone
This being said…
How do you get your nonprofit’s content on a featured snippet?
Joli points us to some ways that we can increase the likelihood our content could be featured on Google.
1. Pay attention to what search queries your nonprofit could answer. For example, if you work with the elderly, put yourself in the position of their family members: what questions are they asking? What help is the family seeking for their loved one?
2. Once you have these questions, search for the answers on Google yourself. How are other organizations answering them? What keywords do you see throughout the first page?
3. Form content that answers those questions and incorporate those keywords. This could be a series of blogposts that incorporate related long-tail keywords, an ebook, Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter posts, etc.
4. Optimize your content. Promote it on your social media pages, be extra mindful of your SEO, and make sure to optimize your photos with tags.
If you want industry experts to help you in pursuit of featured snippets for nonprofits, contact ArcStone today. If you want to stay in-the-know with features like these snippets, sign up for our newsletter.
