‘Rich snippets’ seems to have been thrown around a lot over the last few years, but what does it actually mean? And how do you get them? In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the world of rich snippets including what they are, the different types, how to get them, and common mistakes to avoid.
What are rich snippets?
To explain what rich snippets are, we need to first discuss what ‘snippets’ are. When you Google a query, the vast majority of results you see are your regular snippets. These consist of a title tag (the blue link that shows the page title), the meta description (the couple of lines of descriptive text underneath the title tag), and the URL (the link to the page). Here’s an example:
A rich snippet is similar to this, but provides extra details about the webpage for the user. This could include:
- Images
- Price
- Ratings
- Reviews
- Returns policy
- Ingredient list (if for a recipe)
- Date and location (if for an event)
And much more depending on the type of rich snippet.
Here’s an example of a cookbook on Amazon:
A rich snippet is a great way to get a higher organic CTR (click-through rate) as you’re giving the user more information about the product you’re selling.
Rich snippets vs rich results
Although you may hear both ‘rich snippets’ and ‘rich results’, they essentially mean the same thing and are often used interchangeably. In this blog, we’ll stick with calling them ‘rich snippets’, but if you prefer to use the term ‘rich results’, you do you!
Rich snippets v SERP features
‘SERP features’ is the umbrella term for the unique elements that appear on Google’s search engine results page (SERP) that go beyond the standard organic results. A rich snippet is a type of SERP feature. Below are the types of features that you can see on the results page:
- Featured snippets
- Top and bottom ads
- Video carousels
- Rich snippets
- Sitelinks
- People also ask
- Local listings
- Knowledge panels
- Image packs
- X (Twitter) cards
- Top news stories carousel
- AI overviews
Benefits of rich snippets on SEO
Rich snippets are great for giving users a quick preview of the content they’re about to read, like a quick preview of the ingredients for a recipe or the price of an item they want to buy. But there are also benefits for your website.
Increased organic CTR
By displaying key information on the search results page, rich snippets increase the likelihood that a user will click on your page. This is down to a couple of reasons:
- A rich snippet simply stands out more among other listings on Google
- By allowing a user to learn more about a product on the results page, such as reviews, price, and images, you’re giving them the information they need to decide whether or not they want your product.
Research shows that rich snippets can increase your organic CTR by up to 50% in certain SERP positions, and the stats don’t lie!
Improved rankings chances
Rich snippets can increase CTR, which leads to more traffic to the site. This traffic can help boost your position in the SERPs. Plus, rich snippets show that you’ve added valuable, relevant information to your webpage which aligns with Google’s helpful content guidelines. This makes it more likely for Google to see your site as helpful and give your rankings a boost!
Different types of rich snippets
There are lots of types of rich snippets that Google supports, but it’s important to choose the one that’s relevant to your content. Here are some of the rich snippet types you can have:
Product markup snippet
Product markups display a product’s image, price, rating, review count, returns policy, delivery information, and more. They are great for e-commerce sites.
FAQ snippet
An FAQ snippet shows a list of questions and answers beneath the title and description of the page. These are great for blog posts or pages where you have a lot of helpful FAQs.
Review snippet
Review snippets display ratings on review websites. They can be used for products such as books, products, recipes, films, apps, businesses, and more.
Recipe snippet
The recipe snippet can show certain relevant information about the recipe on your webpage, for example, review count, cooking time, calories, and more.
Movie snippet
Movie snippets display details about a film’s release date, run time, genre, and rating. This is great if your website covers information relating to films and TV shows.
Events snippet
This snippet highlights essential details about events, such as dates and locations. This is a relevant rich snippet type if you’re selling tickets for events.
Music snippet
A music rich snippet gives you information on certain songs such as the artist, genre, release date, record label, and more.
Organisation snippet
An organisation snippet is a type of structured data markup that gives additional information about a company in the search results like its name, logo, contact details, and more.
Video snippet
A video snippet is a short video that appears in the search results and usually includes a thumbnail, title, and description.
Top stories snippet
Top stories are a carousel of Google News results that appear at the top of Google’s search results page. This type of snippet shows when a search query is news-related.
How to get rich snippets in 4 steps
Now you know a bit more about what rich snippets are, you’re probably wondering how to get them. There are four easy steps you have to follow, but we should point out that there’s no guarantee that your Google listing will display as a rich snippet, even if you have everything set up perfectly. However, following our steps will give you a much better chance.
Choose an appropriate rich snippet type
First of all, identify the rich snippet type that is most relevant to your page. You can’t tell Google which one to use, Google will simply create the rich snippet type that they feel suits your page best, so it’s good practice to optimise for the one you want.
Add structured data markup data to your pages (internal link to schema blog post)
After you’ve chosen the rich snippet type that fits your webpage, you need to create and add appropriate structured schema markup data to your pages. To do this, you need to find the type of markup you want to use on Schema.org and markup your content using the guidelines.
Although this sounds a bit techy, you don’t need to be a pro developer to add it – and there are plenty of plugins on WordPress to help!
Validate your structured data
The last step is to check if your structured data is set up correctly. To do this, you can use Schemas Rich Results Testing Tool to see if your page supports rich results. Simply add your URL and click Test URL. The tool will show you structured data found in the ‘Detected Structured Data’ section or the results.
The tool will highlight any invalid items that need to be fixed as well as any missing fields that are optional so you can go back and add any missing information.
Submit your web pages for indexing via Google Search Console
Finally, you need to submit your page for indexing on Google Search Console (GSC). To do this, you have to log into your account, select the relevant property, and paste the URL of the page you want to submit into the search bar at the top of the page. Test the live URL and then click Request Indexing.
Common mistakes made when implementing rich snippets
As with anything SEO-related, some common mistakes should be avoided. We’ll lay them out for you.
Not updating your structured data regularly
One common mistake that we see a lot of is failing to regularly update and maintain the structured data markup which can result in displaying inaccurate or irrelevant information. Regularly auditing, and if necessary updating, your structured data markup is critical to ensure rich snippets accurately reflect the content on your website.
Not obeying Google's guidelines
It’s important to always follow Google’s best practices and guidelines for adding rich snippets. Read them first to ensure you really understand them, and follow them to ensure the rich snippets are implemented correctly.
Not monitoring your rich snippets in Google Search Console
After you’ve got your rich snippets, it’s easy to forget about them. However, it’s essential to keep monitoring the performance of your rich snippet using tools like Google Search Console to help you identify any issues, errors, or ways to improve.
Need help with your structured data?
At 427 Marketing, we have a team of SEOers who have the technical knowledge to add the relevant structured data to your web pages to help you get those rich snippets. If you need help adding structured data markup, we can help, as well as lots of other SEO services too. Get in touch with us now to see how we can help you.