What are rich snippets?
Rich snippets are the additional pieces of information that fall under search engine results, displaying information or data about a specific page. There are many different kinds of rich snippets that can appear underneath a result, such as reviews, ratings and product information. Rich snippets are made up of structured data that is placed on websites through coding that Google and other search engines can decipher. This information is then displayed in the form of a rich snippet.
Why are rich snippets important?
Rich snippets are valuable because of the added information they provide, allowing users to get a better idea of the content on the website without even having to click on the link! This can help to increase the traffic to your site, as the pertinent information is already showcased. Rich snippets are also important because of the way they display the link to your page. This has the added benefit of visually pleasing and eye-catching short information, which can go a long way to attract users to your website.
Do rich snippets improve SEO?
Improving a search engine’s ability to read and understand the information on your website will never be a bad thing, in fact, it can actually improve the search engine optimisation of your website. Rich snippets SEO work by adding in that extra information that draws users in as they scroll through their search page. It also enhances the ability of the search engine itself to understand the information on your page. A rich snippet contains much more information than a regular advert would, making them very important for the click-through rate on your site. When the rich snippet pages’ click-through rate increases, you will gain more traction from that search result.
How do you get rich snippets?
To understand how you get rich snippets, you need to understand where they come from and what they mean. Rich snippets are created when a search engine is given structured data. Information like the length of a song or the amount of time it takes to complete a recipe are good examples of structured data. This information is then placed on your website through the use of Google, adding specific code to your website, or even using plugins. A search engine will then be able to read the coded form of this structured data easier and place it in a rich snippet format.
What are the types of rich snippets?
There are many different rich snippets types, the one that you decide to go with is entirely dependent on the information on your website and what you want the rich snippet to display. The following are just a few of the most common kinds of rich snippets:
Reviews
Reviews are a common type of rich snippet as they are easy to implement. Have you ever noticed those stars at the bottom of a link? Well, they are rich snippet reviews! These types of snippets are incredibly valuable as they allow users to see how effective your website was in helping other users.
Top stories
Top stories display information regarding the top news stories. This snippet is constantly being updated and changed as more relevant news sites produce and supply information. This type of rich snippet can only be used by news networks that are approved as news websites by the search engine.
Product Markup
A product markup rich snippet gives information with regards to a specific item, the price, size and even pictures can be used to promote it! Product markup rich snippets are extremely valuable for websites like online shopping networks, which need to entice potential customers with the product information.
What is a FAQ rich snippet?
FAQ (frequently asked questions) is one of Google’s search snippets, designed to enhance the experience of search engine users and allow for more streamlined answers to general questions. This type of rich snippets FAQ includes questions covered by the linked pages. Each of the questions can be clicked on to display the answers taken from a specific website.
Which type of rich snippet would be suitable for you?
The type of rich snippet you decide to use is entirely based on the information you have on your website and what structured data you would like the search engine to display. For a website that has a video or song as the main focus of the page, you may wish to have a rich snippet displaying the duration and length of it. A page that is selling a product may want to use a product markup rich snippet to display the important information pertaining to it.
