Google’s rich snippets – what are they and how can I get them?
Imagine this. You jump into Google to find a new pair of Nike shoes. Your explicit search renders a list of search results – all for the same product, yet totally different in the way they look and in what they offer.
One search result is bare and lacks the kind of detail you need to warrant a click. But the other. Oooh. The other is POPPING with star ratings, product markups, and important information about the brand or business. Needless to say, this is the one you click.
The latter search result is called a rich snippet or a rich result. These help your brand or product stand out from the competition in Google.
So, why are rich snippets all the rage and how can you get rich snippets for your website? We’ll tell you everything you need to know and tell you how to richify your Google search results.
Why are Google rich snippets important?
If you’ve ever used Google to search for a product you’ll know how hard it is to shine from the crowd. Rich snippets are a GREAT way to get noticed. They offer additional information about a product or business that not only makes the result stand out, but also makes it more enticing to click.
HOT TIP! Visit Google Search Console for useful tips and resources to optimize your website.
How do I get rich snippets to appear in Google?
Google gets its rich snippet information from Structured Markup (Schema) from your website’s HTML code. Website schema are words or tags used to mark up structure data within your webpage. Google (and other search engines like Yahoo and Bing) love structured data as it’s easier for them to scan. Search engines need websites with super scannable content to help them choose relevant content to display in the search results.
Work with your SEO specialist and web developer to improve your website’s scheme and mark up information that you want to be known for. Need help with your SEO or website? Schedule a free consultation with Southern Digital Consulting today.
Different types of rich snippets
Ratings
Includes ratings from website users or customers.
Recipes
Includes reviews, cook time, and an overall rating for the dish.
Product markups
Offer up specific information about the features of a product as well as pricing and whether that product is in stock or not.
Brand or business information
These snippets show key information about a brand or business. Things like their location, their net worth, their awards, etc.
Ratings
A popular snippet, ratings shows your product and/or business’ rating. Reviews are a sure-fire way to encourage a click.
Music
Music snippets give you a quick rundown of the information about a song or album, like the studio, genre, producer and length of the song/s.
Videos
Google knows everything. But it can’t see everything – like videos. Google can’t watch them, it can only scan them. If you want your videos to appear as rich snippets make sure they are marked up with information Google needs to display them this way.
Top stories
Having your website’s top stories show is a feature that only verified Google News sites can access.
Events
Shows event information, like dates, time, and venue.
Your website is the heart of your digital marketing content. Make sure it looks good and works great! Southern Digital Consulting helps businesses improve the form and function of their website and can assist you with your scheme mark up – so you can get rich snippets too! Schedule your complimentary consultation with us today!
