Search engine algorithms and features are always changing, and one of the more recent additions to Google searches have been quick answers, or the box of text found at the top of the page when you ask Google a question or search for a popular query.
With online research becoming the most common way to research, especially before buying a product or considering a service, ranking for quick answers have become more and more important for a business’ online success.
But, how do quick answers work and how can they build and improve your company’s presence online?
What are Google Quick Answers?
If you search for something in Google and the first thing you see is a box with the information you’re looking for, you’ve seen a quick answer. A quick answer, or featured snippet, is a block of text from a website that Google sees as the most relevant or most helpful.
When you search for something online, Google crawls web pages to determine which would be the most helpful to what you’re looking for and ranks each relevant page on the search engine result page (SERP).
If they think a piece of information on a site provides the answer to the question you’re asking, those details, as well as the page title and URL, are displayed in a box at the top of the SERP, above the top organic results. Essentially, they give users the answer they’re looking for and the most relevant source as soon as they submit their search query.
Benefits of Quick Answers for Your Business
With more and more people turning to the web for research before buying a car or any other product or service, it’s more important than ever to make sure your business has a strong presence online. Luckily, quick answers can help. Here’s how.
Quick Answers Lead to More Traffic and Better Conversion Rates
While ranking at the number one spot can help, landing a quick answer spot can be a more successful way to increase activity and visitors on your website.
Located at the very top of the SERP, quick answers are usually the first thing people see when they search online. When your site is the first thing that people see, they’re more likely to click on it, read through your copy, and eventually become leads and even customers.
Low-Ranking Pages Can Still Rank as a Quick Answer
If you created a blog that’s detailed and includes helpful and educational information, it might not always rank at the top spot, depending on when it’s posted or the competition ahead. However, it can still list as a quick answer. Just take a peek at the example below.
As you can see, the quick answer listed for this specific query isn’t the first or even the second page listed in the organic search. Instead, it’s the fourth. So, even if your competitor’s page is higher than yours on a SERP, you can still gain more traffic, conversions, and customers because your quick answer will still be the first thing users see when they’re searching.
Quick Answer-Worthy Copy
Content is important to search engines regardless if you’re trying to rank as the top spot on a SERP or a quick answer. However, there are factors in your content that can affect how it performs. The most important is relevancy. Basically, you need to make sure your content is educational and helpful to the reader.
When you have copy that’s designed to educate and follows best practices for SEO optimization, your blogs, and your web pages, are more likely to rank higher on a SERP or land that coveted quick answer spot.
If you’re ready to boost traffic and conversions for your company’s website, having top ranking web pages and blogs can help. To do that, you’ll want to team up with an integrated advertising agency like Stream Companies. Just get in touch with our team to see how we can create the top-ranking, quick answer-worthy pages your business needs to get ahead of the competition and succeed.