related questions

Ranking in position #1 on Google is no longer a guaranteed win. Even if you manage to hit the top spot, you will often (not always!) get upstaged by SERP features. Well, that begs the question… First, what are SERP features? They’re special snippets that Google displays to help users find the information they’re looking for faster and easier. Prime example: I want to know how far the sun is from the moon. I open Google and ask: How far is the sun from the moon? Google answers, not just with a list of search results, but with more information presented in SERP features like Knowledge Cards, Related Questions, and Rich Snippets: Some of these features edge out the regular search results – the Knowledge Card, for instance, is in the top-left position on the page, where the #1 result would usually appear. Here’s the thing: Your pages, content, and information can show up in these highly visible, highly desirable spots in SERPS. In many cases, a SERP will have multiple features that take over the page. These essentially become position #0 and will be the first things users see. Position #0 is like the gold at the end of the rainbow for us SEO content creators. By now, your main question has probably morphed into “How do I rank for a SERP feature?” along with “Which features are worth aiming for?” In today’s blog, I’ve got you covered with a list of the SERP features you should care about and tips to rank for each type. Let’s go. 5 SERP Features You Should Know + How to Rank for Them 1. Featured Snippets 2. Related Questions (“People also ask”) 3. Local Packs 4. Knowledge Cards/Panels 5. Rich Snippets How to Find and Track Your Ranking SERP Features in SEMrush Last But Not Least: Organic Search Results Are Still #1 [bctt tweet=”How do you make your content worthy enough to sit on the throne of @Google’s SERP features? ? @JuliaEMcCoy shares 5 SERP features you should know and the best ways to rank for them.” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Scoring a SERP Feature Can Seriously Boost Your SEO Results It’s self-explanatory why scoring one of these positions is AWESOME, but, here are some facts on the matter: According to Ahrefs, Featured Snippets steal away 8.6% of clicks from the organic #1 search result below it. From the same study, Ahrefs found when SERP features appear on a results page, clicks on that page drop overall – probably because people are getting the information they need from the SERP features! A related study found that the above is especially true for pages with Knowledge Graphs, Related Questions, and Featured Snippets. Most importantly, winning SERP features isn’t only for pages in the #1 spot. As long as you rank in the top 10, you have a chance at winning one of these covetable spots on the page. [bctt tweet=”Scoring a SERP feature can steal those clicks from the #1 organic position. For example, Featured Snippets steal away 8.6% of clicks from the search result below it. ? Know more about how ranking for a SERP feature can help you.” username=”ExpWriters”] To sum it up, SERP features do all of this: They’re super visible on search results pages. They steal clicks from the #1 organic position. They lessen the number of clicks on the page overall. They aren’t just for the top 3 ranking pages, or even the top 5 – if you rank on a page, you can edge into a SERP feature. Sounds good, right? Okay, let’s get into the “how.” 5 SERP Features You Should Know + How to Rank for Them 1. Featured Snippets The Featured Snippet is probably the SERP feature with which you’re most familiar. This one shows up at the tippy-top of the page and features an answer to the search query pulled from the text of a web page (usually, the page also ranks for that query). Express Writers currently ranks for a bunch of Featured Snippets, including this one pulled from our post on the Top 100 content marketers: [bctt tweet=”Featured Snippets are @Google’s SERP Features you’re most familiar with. They feature an answer to the search query pulled from the text of a web page. @JuliaEMcCoy shares more about these features and how you can rank for them ?” username=”ExpWriters”] How Do You Rank for a Featured Snippet? Since Featured Snippets usually appear as answers to search queries framed as direct questions (“What do pangolins eat?”, “How far away is the sun?”, or “What is SEO?” are good examples), you need to frame your written content as a definitive answer. Here are some tips: Research long tail keywords phrased as questions to use in your content. These are often great related keywords to include along with your focus keyword. Include those question keywords directly in your content, then answer them. (You can see we used this exact tactic for this sub-section.) Aim to help people in your content. Be informative, factual, and accurate. Format your content to help Google detect your answers. Bold the most important information, or put the answer to the question on its own line. 2. Related Questions (“People also ask”) Another opportunity on the SERPs for ranking is the Related Questions snippet. This SERP feature lists other questions related to your original query that users have asked Google. You’ll find this snippet under the heading “People also ask”. How Do You Rank for Related Questions? Ranking for Related Questions means you’re trying to get featured as an answer that appears when users click the question they want to know more about. Example: Typically, Related Questions are 30 words in length. To rank for this feature, a good practice is to craft a 30-ish-word answer that definitively addresses the biggest question users may have about your main topic. For best results, do this fairly early on in the copy. [bctt tweet=”To rank for the Related Questions SERP feature, better create an … Read more