If you’ve Googled just about anything in the past couple years -- from how to wash red wine stains or technical searches like website functions -- then you’ve seen the occasional “featured snippet” at the top of the search results page. These are the answers to users’ most pressing questions, and this is where you want your law firm’s answers to appear.
But now, you may have noticed something else. TWO featured snippets are appearing in some Google searches: one at the top, and one right beneath it. Together, these two website’s snippets take up the space that the top 10 search results would otherwise occupy.
You may be wondering: “What does this mean for my law firm's SEO marketing strategy? Will the double snippet block the space where my site shows up in search results?” Well, we at Custom Legal Marketing see the double snippet as an opportunity rather than a hurdle. Now your content has twice the chance of becoming a featured snippet.
So what can you do to be featured in the double snippet? Let’s go over what Google is doing and how you can optimize your SEO to land in one of those top two spots.
How is the google double snippet different from a single snippet?
With the double snippet, Google is aiming to address the queries that might be multifaceted or require multiple perspective answers. In other words, Google must presume two different questions that the user might have intended to ask, then intelligently answer the query.
Double snippets are also used to offer multiple-perspective answers by surfacing two reputable sources on the topic that show different or even opposing answers to the same query. This offers broader perspectives on questions that don’t have cut and dry answers.
Legal questions don’t have simple answers. This is why the google double snippet could be just the outlet for your content to appear.
Double snippets occur in noun-heavy queries
Knowing what Google might deem “multi-intent” allows us to optimize accordingly. According to a study by Moz, the kinds of keywords most used when double snippets appeared were noun-heavy. Meanwhile, this wasn’t found to be true of single snippets, in which the most common search terms were “how to” and “how does,” as well as “what” and “is” -- which are words that get used to compose full sentences. Thus, Moz determined that noun-heavy queries, which were often less specific than the full-sentence queries, leave Google to guess what the intended question is.
How can I optimize for a double featured snippet?
When you’re creating content for your site, remember that snippets are usually either shown as short, 300-word paragraphs or in list form.
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind for ways of curating the content and structure of your website content.
1. Create succinct and helpful information paired with high-quality images: If you’re providing the answer to the question “what happens during the personal injury lawsuit process” you must answer it in about 35-50 words, which is the average word count for most featured-snippets. Also pairing your answer with a quality image or infographic may boost your odds at being featured.
2. Provide data-driven answers using keywords: Google snippets are just one other reason to continuously ensure that your blogs are updated with your expertly crafted knowledge, and backed up by data. Use keywords to ensure that Google pulls up your posts during searches.
3. Structure your content with clear, helpful paragraphs: When optimizing for paragraph answers, be sure to include the main point at the beginning of the paragraph.
4. Invest time in quality link-building: Most featured snippets have shown proof of being the best answer due to earned authority. Getting that authority means earning high-quality links.
5. Use FAQs in your posts and answer related questions: Since there is a “People also ask” section that appears after the featured snippets, you’ll want to give yourself a shot at being featured in those sections, too. Do this by including frequently asked questions at the end of your articles, or by having a robust FAQ section in your site.
At Custom Legal Marketing, we’re always studying Google’s every move so that we can best position our clients at the top of searches.
Schedule a free consultation today and talk to a proffesional law firm marketer.
Cristina Fríes is a MA in English/Creative Writing from UC Davis (2019), and is a legal marketing strategist and content developer for CLM. Her interests include creating compelling marketing content, writing books, and traveling the world.