Story Based Question
Imagine you run a local restaurant, and you’ve been working hard on improving your SEO. You’ve noticed that more customers are asking their voice assistants, like Google Assistant, questions like, “What time does [restaurant name] close?” or “What are the best dishes at [restaurant name]?” You’re curious about how featured snippets play into voice search and if they’re important for your SEO strategy.
What is the role of featured snippets in voice search results, and why should you focus on them?
Exact Answer
Featured snippets play a critical role in voice search results by providing direct, concise answers to user queries, allowing your website to be read aloud by voice assistants.
Explanation
When users perform a voice search, they typically expect quick, direct answers to their questions. Featured snippets are designed to deliver these kinds of answers. Here’s why featured snippets are important for voice search:
- Quick Answers for Users
Featured snippets are selected excerpts that Google pulls directly from a webpage, displayed at the top of search results. These snippets are usually a direct answer to a question. For voice searches, Google often uses these snippets to provide spoken answers.- For example, if someone asks their voice assistant, “What time does [restaurant name] close today?” the assistant will likely read out the information found in a featured snippet from your website.
- Improved Visibility in Voice Search
Since voice assistants tend to prioritize featured snippets, having your website show up in this position increases the chance of your content being read aloud. It’s a great opportunity to showcase your restaurant’s hours, popular menu items, or other key information.- If your restaurant appears in the featured snippet for “Best restaurants near me,” your business could get a boost in visibility and foot traffic.
- Direct, Conversational Content
Featured snippets are often chosen because they provide concise, clear, and direct answers. These answers are easy for voice assistants to read aloud in a conversational tone.- For instance, a search for “What’s the best dish at [restaurant name]?” might pull a featured snippet from your website, where you directly answer, “Our signature dish is [dish name].” This format works well for voice search because it mimics natural speech.
- Boosts Credibility and Authority
Appearing in a featured snippet not only helps you with voice search but also establishes your website as an authoritative source. Being selected for featured snippets is a sign that Google trusts your content to answer questions reliably and accurately.- For example, when someone asks, “What time does [restaurant name] close?” and Google reads your business hours aloud, it establishes your restaurant as the go-to authority on this information.
Example
For your restaurant, here’s how featured snippets work in voice search:
- Voice search query: “What time does [restaurant name] close today?”
- Interpretation: Google pulls the information from your website’s featured snippet, and your business hours are read aloud to the user by their voice assistant.
- Voice search query: “What’s the best dish at [restaurant name]?”
- Interpretation: Google finds your snippet where you describe your signature dish and reads it aloud to the user, helping to attract attention and increase customer curiosity.
By targeting featured snippets, your content has a higher chance of being used for voice search results, helping you reach users who want immediate answers.