Rich snippets
Rich snippets are an important part of CTR optimisation as they provide more visibility in search results and increase the chance of clicks. But what exactly are rich snippets - and how can you implement them in your SEO strategy? Find out here.
What are rich snippets?
Rich snippets - or selected snippets - are simply additional information in search results. They contribute more than standard meta tags such as URL, title tag and meta descriptions.
Rich snippets can be anything from product reviews, prices and inventory to FAQs and tables of contents.
Rich snippets should not be confused with featured snippets.
Here are 3 examples of rich snippets (the red markings):
Common to the many types of rich snippets is that they give users extra info about a given landing page already on the results page. In addition, they make your search results stand out from the rest. And that gives the following equation:
Extra info for users + eye-catching = more clicks.
In this way, rich snippets are an essential part of your CTR optimisation (also known as click-through rate optimisation).
Although rich snippets are not a direct ranking factor and thus do not as such influence your SEO, any self-respecting SEO consultant will strive to get rich snippets on their search results. For sure, the essence of SEO is to achieve visibility in the top search results, but a search result that does not attract clicks - and thus traffic to a website - is like a billboard that all passers-by ignore.
Who can use rich snippets?
Anyone with a website and a little technical understanding (or a SEO agency or SEO consultant behind them) can do it.
Most often, however, it will make sense to choose the type of rich snippet based on yourself as the sender and thus your target audience. For example, it will make sense for a webshop to have product reviews and prices in its search results, where it will make sense for an information-heavy page to have for example and table of contents in their rich snippets.
How to implement rich snippets?
The short answer is structured data, which in short are scripts in your source code that help Google better understand the context of your search results. Google then translates the structured data into visual snippets to push out in search results.
However, structured data does not guarantee a rich snippet - ultimately, it is Google itself that decides whether your snippet will appear. In addition, it's important to adhere to Google's guidelines for using structured data if you want to get those coveted extended snippets.
If you're not a code-breaker, don't worry. There are a variety of tools to help you generate error-free structured data. In my post on SEO-tools, I mention Schema Markup Generator, which you can simply feed with input, which is then translated into scripts that Google can read.
If you're using Google Chrome, you can also download the Chrome extension Schema Builder for Structured Data, which can not only help you generate structured data, but also read whether you have existing structured data set up on your page.
Når du har genereret dit script, kan du med fordel teste det i Googles testværktøj for at identificere eventuelle fejl. Derefter kan du implementere dit script på din hjemmeside – enten via Google Tag Manager, via et plugin på din hjemmeside eller direkte i din kildekode eller page builder. Så længe scriptet ender i <head>-sektionen af din hjemmeside, er du godt på vej til flere klik på dine søgeresultater.
Have fun implementing rich snippets on your website. If you are still unsure about how to do this, don't hesitate to contact Webamp.
Frequently asked questions about selected extracts
Rich snippets - or selected extracts - are additional information in search results. They provide more visibility in search results and thus increase the chance of clicks.
This is done through structured data - scripts in your source code that help Google better understand the context of your search results.
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