When we type a query into Google, we often have to click on several links and browse through many articles to get the explanation we need. And sometimes the search engine gives us a concise answer at the very top of the results page without us having to visit any of the links provided, which is a considerable time saver. But what is this Google Answer Box, what can it bring to your business and how to make your website content appear in it? This is what I propose to discover in this article a little longer than a “featured snippet” …
WHAT IS THE GOOGLE ANSWER BOX?
In 2015, Google introduced a new search feature in its SERP results called “Answer Box” with the aim of providing quick and easy answers to questions that Internet users have. It is located in position zero, which is at the top of the search engine results page. However, it should be noted that Google does not include an Answer Box for answers to all queries.
With this feature, the web giant is trying to improve the user experience by providing relevant answers without the user having to click on a single search result.
The Google Answer Box can come in two forms:
“One Box”: content directly generated by Google through Google Knowledge Graph or one of its partners. This can be movie times, weather, Rolland-Garros tournament results, celebrity birth dates, currency conversions, etc. ;
“Featured Snippet: This second category contains an excerpt of content from a website that Google finds relevant. This information takes the form of paragraphs, lists or tables depending on the type of search.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
As we have seen, unless you are a Google partner it is not possible to appear in one box. However, having your content selected for the featured snippet is important in part because of the high click-through rate. If you are lucky enough to have your site selected for the Google Answer Box, your traffic will increase exponentially. This will also have an impact on your brand awareness and the number of sales of your products. Not to mention that in most cases, virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri get their voice search results from Google Answer Boxes.
Another advantage of this feature is that your content can rank in both the Google Answer Box and in organic search results. In the event that you are not able to top the search results for your keyword, you can focus your attention on ranking in featured snippets.
HOW TO APPEAR IN THE GOOGLE ANSWER BOX?
Here are some tips to maximize your chances of reaching this coveted spot and dethrone your competitors.
FIND OPPORTUNITIES FOR “FEATURED SNIPPET
Not all questions will have a Google Answer Box. Therefore, you will have to find the queries that will give you the opportunity to appear there. Most often, this feature appears for searches that have clear answers. Questions that start with how, why, where, when, how are usually good candidates. What questions do your visitors have? Try to target relevant questions as keywords. Think about keywords related to your business that might answer queries that bring up a Google Answer Box on the SERPs results. If these queries already have this box, can you develop content to better answer the question? If there is no featured snippet yet, this can be an opportunity to create content that the search engine would use to provide an Answer Box in its results.
STRUCTURE YOUR CONTENT
Google must easily understand that you are providing the answer to the question that users are asking. Once you have identified this query, write or rework your content keeping in mind the Google Answer Box. Highlight the question with a
tag so the search engine understands right away that your content answers it. Then, add one or more paragraphs below it. Featured snippets are only about 300 signs or about 50 words. Keep this limit in mind when writing your paragraphs. If you plan to write a page just for a specific question, you can put that question in the title.
PROVIDE A RELEVANT, SHORT AND PRECISE ANSWER
To get a spot in the Google Answer box, your content must be up to par. Review the possible featured snippet present on your query before writing your text. To beat it, you’ll need to provide more useful information and produce as much quality content as possible while remaining concise. Take the time to do thorough research with reliable sources to provide accurate and complete answers to users’ questions. Your content must be accurate and up-to-date if you want Google to select you.
In conclusion, Google’s answer boxes are a very important factor in gaining traffic to your website. Keeping an eye out for featured snippet opportunities for your upcoming and existing content will greatly increase your visibility. So, optimize your texts intelligently to reach this place and get excellent results.
