On January 22nd, Google announced that it will no longer automatically present the URLs within Featured Snippets among the page one organic results. URLs used within a Featured Snippet subsequently ranked organically on page one of the SERP. Now, and as a rule, such URLs will no longer rank on page one of the Google SERP.

Zero-Position

Currently, the industry-standard does not consider a Featured Snippet URL as part of the organic rankings. To this, Featured Snippets are often referred to as the ‘Zero Position Box’.   Your organic ranking is determined by the URL’s position among the organic results shown on page one of the SERP.

What You May See

You may see drops or  rank losses. This is because Google is taking the organic URLs that also appear inside a Featured Snippet and placing that URL on page two of the SERP.

SEO Crossroads

This change puts the industry at a crossroads. How should these URLs be ranked and should we change our strategy or just wait it out. ach out to us at service@rankranger.com.

Originally spotted by Mark Barrera, who shared his findings on Twitter, the news broke that sites ranking for featured snippets will no longer appear in the first page of organic SERPs. This was confirmed on January 22, 2020.

A Featured Snippet is an Answer Box

Sometimes referred to as an answer box, a featured snippet is a rich result generated by Google designed to answer the user’s query in a concise manner in the form of paragraphs, bullet items, images, etc.

Of course, it’s not all black and white and clicks come down to more than just the presence of a featured snippet, but from the evidence, it’s looking like ranking in position one will benefit you more than ranking in position zero.

It’s not all black and white and clicks come down to more than just the presence of a featured snippet, but from the evidence, it’s looking like ranking in position one will benefit you more than ranking in position zero.

What does the update mean for local search?

While local businesses can compete for featured snippets they’ are generally less likely to rank for them but possible.

But it’s not so likely you’ll gain clicks or business through this method, given that the searcher could be sourcing this information from out of the area, that is where Google My Business Knowledge panel will always help you in your local search.

Summary

This update to SERPs will likely have little effect for local businesses, unless your Marketing Consultant or Agency is working really hard on ranking for a Featured Snippet. Also for local pack rankings  – no effect!

Recommendation from Wellman Works, Ltd.

Focus on your business listings, your blog, your keywords, your bio and consistent information. Always still include a FAQ in your website and let Wellman Works, Ltd. optimize your site for all things SEO including heading, alt tags, schema, structured data and more!!!

Test your visibility here! 

Thanks for the updates from Rank Ranger and Bright Local.