How to Use Google Rich Snippets With Your On-Site SEO Campaign?

Very often we come across the term ‘rich snippets’. While SEO experts might be well versed with it, not everyone seems to know of the same, particularly newbies. For starters, a snippet is an outcome or result that Google displays to users in the search results. Now there are two forms of snippets- rich and normal. A normal snippet would be something that we see in the form of a blue title page; the URL marked in green and then at the bottom is a brief outline or description of what the page is likely to contain.

On the other hand, rich snippets contain the picture or a related one of what we are looking for as per our search; and then the rating and other details highlighting specific information. Since these snippets are ‘rich’ or replete with more details than the normal counterpart, hence the name.

How to obtain rich snippets?

It is only after you decide to add structured data to your site when Google will show rich snippets. Now that brings us to the next question- what’s a structured data? A piece of code in a certain format and written in a way that search engines can make sense of is a structured piece of data. Search engines read through the code and thereby create rich snippets.

But then adding structured data can be a complicated job for many; so one needs to master the strategies to get started.

Recommended for you: SEO Trends 2018: Latest Google Algorithm Changes & Updates 2018.

What type of content can have rich snippets?

The rich snippets can be used in the following type of content pages:

What’s the connection between rich snippets with SEO?

Compared to others, rich snippets stand out. Of course, they look better and of much use than other snippets, so you can easily understand the benefits you can have with them. These also have a higher click-through rate. As a result, the increase in the rate can result in generating more traffic in the search result page.

As Clayton Johnson, the Marketing Director at Avila Web Firm, mentioned in a conversion related to rich snippets,

“This is not because the position in the search engine has changed, but largely because a greater number of people has clicked through the result. Naturally, this affects the ranking in the long run.” 

It will be visible to Google that people have shown a greater preference for the page than others. So, you can imagine the improvement you will get in the rankings.

What can be expected after the addition of rich snippets?

Just because you have started using structured data markup on the website doesn’t mean that there will be an automatic translation into the search engines showing rich snippets in the content. Google has a particular way of analyzing and then assessing the markup before displaying richer results. Here’s a general pattern how Google responds to structured data markup:

You may also like: Google Web Spam: Tips to Protect Your Site from SPAM List.

The Bottom Line

For starting out with any on-site SEO campaign, be specific about your requirements. If your approach is ethical, there’s no cause for worry. But only if you use rich snippets inappropriately, Google is likely to penalize your site.

This article is written by Veselina Dzhingarova. She has long experience in internet marketing and SEO. She is passionate about blogging to share her expertise. Veselina is a regular contributor at many online publishers. She is the co-founder of Blogforweb.com and others. You can get in touch with her on LinkedIn & Google+.

Disclosure: Some of our articles may contain affiliate links; this means each time you make a purchase, we get a small commission. However, the input we produce is reliable; we always handpick and review all information before publishing it on our website. We can ensure you will always get genuine as well as valuable knowledge and resources.