What Is Position Zero (P0)
Position 0: What Are Featured Snippets?
The coveted position 0, also known as featured snippets, is the search result that precedes the SEO organic results. It’s not just a link to a website, it’s also content in the form of paragraphs, lists, tables, or videos. Featured snippets aim to answer searchers’ questions directly without them having to click on a link. If they want to go in-depth, they can find a link to enter the website and read more.
Research indicates that Position Zero results can substantially increase website traffic and visibility. In this article, we will talk about the position 0 approach and how you can leverage featured snippets to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) performance.
What Are the Benefits of Position Zero?
More Visibility
Featured snippets appear above the first position of Google search results. That means it’s the first thing people see when they conduct a search query. Even if your web page isn’t ranking on the first few traditional search results, people will still find it easily. Most people don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for their answer. If they find it in your features snippet, they will not look elsewhere unless they want to enter your website and go more in-depth.
More Click-through Rates (CTRs)
Internet users trust Google’s choices. They find quick answers chosen by the algorithm to be authoritative. If they find your answer in Position 0, they are likely to click on your website to go more in-depth. Web pages with featured snippets generally have a higher CTR.
Free Organic Traffic
Arguably, the best thing about featured snippets is that they are free. As a part of organic search results, you don’t need to pay to be featured, unlike paid digital ads. All you have to do to get that traffic to your website is write good quality, informative content in the right format.
Optimized for Voice Searches
Around 20.5% of people use voice searches to find answers to their questions. Popular voice assistants, like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, all use featured snippets to answer queries. In short, your featured snippet is optimized to have visibility in voice search results.
Higher Authority and Credibility
Google’s algorithm is very selective. Choosing your content to be a featured snippet means that Google recognizes your content as authoritative and reliable, with relevant information. Through featured snippets, users will see your brand as credible and trustworthy.
Enhanced User Experience
Featured snippets enhance user experience by providing concise and direct answers to their questions. When users find the information they’re seeking quickly, they get a sense of satisfaction from your content, which increases engagement.
Competitive Advantage
A feature snippet or position 0 places you above competing sites. That means users will see your answer first, and might click on it before they check out what competitors have to say, giving you an advantage.
What Formats of Content Qualify for Position 0?
Winning zero position for your target keyword isn’t sheer luck. Google has algorithms for featured snippets designed to pick the best answer. The search engine bots take milliseconds to crawl your website because they know what they’re looking for. Here are the types of content that best qualify for the position 0.
Paragraphs
Google engines can extract information from paragraph snippets that directly answer specific questions. For example, a user’s search query may be, “What is commercial auto insurance?” and they will get a 40-60-word paragraph that is selected from your website.
For example, in your blog post, you may give a brief introduction to commercial auto insurance in a section about coverage. Google extracts the part that answers the question only. The most relevant part is usually highlighted.
Example
Search Query:
What is commercial auto insurance?
Highlighted paragraph snippet:
Commercial auto insurance is a type of business insurance that covers vehicles that are used in business operations.
Numbered and bulleted lists
Lists are another format favoured by Google. They answer how-to questions, step-by-step instructions, and process queries. In most cases, Google will extract the headings and leave behind the detailed information under each heading on the list, so it’s important to format your lists clearly and consistently. Numbered lists are for ordered items, while bullet points are for unordered items.
Example
Search query
What are the coverage types of home insurance
Featured snippet on search engine results:
- Dwelling coverage
- Contents coverage
- Personal liability insurance
- Additional living expenses
Tables
Tables are also one of the formats used as featured snippets. The featured snippet may answer search queries with comparisons, pricing, and/or specifications, extracting structured data in the form of rows and columns.
Example
Query:
Compare home insurance policy prices
Snippet:
| Policy Type | Coverage Limit | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $100,000 | $500 |
| Standard | $250,000 | $850 |
| Premium | $500,000 | $1,200 |
Videos
An informative video that is well-optimized can also be in a featured snippet. It has to provide direct answers or process demonstrations. A video with relevant SEO metadata, including title, description, and meta tags, has a better chance of getting featured. Transcripts also improve the chances, as they enhance SEO Video marketing performance and accessibility. In most cases, the video will have a timestamp that takes the user to the most relevant part.
Example
Query: How to make an Omelet
Answer:
Video title: How to Make an Omelet
Snippet: Step 1: Make an ingredient list
Google may display:
- Video title and thumbnail
- Channel name
- Highlighted timestamped section
- Transcript excerpt
- Clickable link to the relevant segment
Images
Images are another format for featured snippets. Image snippets include a thumbnail image in a featured snippet box, a carousel of images in a rich result, or a visual preview pulled from content on the web. They link to the web page hosting the image, not the image file itself.
Image snippets usually appear after queries that are related to what something looks like or instructions and how-tos with visual steps. It can also be an image of products, people, places, or food. Finally, an image snippet can be an infographic containing a comparison.
Example
Query:
What does an insurance policy look like?
Answer:
Multiple images of policy documents.
Charts
Chart snippets are image-based visualizations of data that Google extracts from embedded charts on a web page, well-marked-up HTML tables, or publicly available infographics and data visuals that may be found in blog posts or government sites.
They can appear as a thumbnail chart image in a feature snippet, a standalone result with a chart and source link, or occasionally Google Discover or Knowledge Panels.
Chart snippets are rare. If they appear, it’s usually for comparative or statistical queries, growth or trend-related questions, or industry benchmark lookups.
Example
Search Bar Query
Car accident rates by province
Chart Snippet
Google displays a chart showing the answer with statistics.
What is the Difference Between a Featured Snippet and a Knowledge Graph?
A knowledge graph is an information box on the right-hand side of search results on the web and top of the first page on mobile. It is powered by Google’s internal database of facts about people, places, organizations, and things.
The main purpose of a knowledge graph is to present factual, structured information about a recognized entity, which could be a person, company, or location.
The data in a knowledge graph usually comes from credible sources, like Google Business Profile, Government or public databases, Wikipedia/Wikidata, authoritative structured websites, or schema markups from trusted domains.
How to Get Your Page to Position 0
Now to the most important point: How can you get your web pages on the zero position of the first page? This section helps you identify position zero opportunities and how to leverage them.
Question-based Keyword
Keyword research plays a role in getting that golden SERP spot. Use long-tail keywords that are question-based. You can find such keywords that relate to the topic of your web page using tools like AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, or SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool. You could also take inspiration from existing featured snippets. Improve on the answers chosen by Google, and position 0 might become yours.
Clear Answers
There’s no specific format for featured snippets. Google can extract a sentence from the middle of a paragraph or section. However, if you format the text to look exactly how Google wants it, you have a better chance of getting a featured snippet. The ideal answer is a direct paragraph of 40-60 words. One sentence or a short paragraph is enough. It should be directly below the header.
Example
Header: What is a deductible in insurance?
A deductible is the amount a policyholder pays out of pocket before the insurance company covers the remaining claim amount.
Content Formatting
Make sure that each query type has the right format.
- What/why questions usually get a paragraph answer. Example: Why is car insurance expensive?
- How-to gets a numbered list to display the steps in order. Example: How to get a car insurance quote?
- Tips, types, and best query types get bulleted lists. No need to put them in order. Example: What are the types of car insurance policies?
- Add comparisons and pricing data in a table format.
- If possible, create a how-to video that is timestamped and available on YouTube.
Headers and Tags
The hierarchy of the content should be clear and comprehensible. Use H2/H3 for questions, topics, and subtopics. It’s best to put the heading in the form of a question. For example, what are the types of car insurance? is better than The Types of Car Insurance.
Under the headers and tags, the answer should be direct.
Schema Markup
Use schema markup for FAQ, HowTo, and articles. Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a type of data that uses specific vocabulary. It helps Google understand your content and display it for more relevant keywords.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile usability is one of Google’s top priorities when selecting featured snippets. Even if your content is flawless, poor technical SEO performance can prevent it from appearing as a featured snippet. In general, Google has a mobile-first indexing approach, meaning it will index the mobile version of your website before the web version. Your website will only start ranking when it’s mobile-optimized.
The following tips help you get a well-optimized mobile page:
- Use a responsive design.
- Avoid intrusive pop-ups.
- Maintain a readable font size.
- Make buttons and links tappable.
- Use mobile-friendly plugins.
Page Speed
It’s not a secret that page speed is one of Google’s ranking factors. Faster pages keep users engaged, preventing high bounce rates. It is an important factor as Google considers UX when selecting a snippet.
Here are the best practices to have an optimal page speed:
- Compress images: Use WebP or AVIF formats and serve scaled images.
- Enable lazy loading: Loads images as the user scrolls, not all at once.
- Minify CSS/JS/HTML: Reduces file sizes and improves load time.
- Use browser caching: Allows returning visitors to load pages faster.
- Reduce server response time: Optimize backend performance and hosting.
- Implement a CDN: Speeds up delivery by using global edge servers.
Domain and Page Authority
Google usually picks trusted websites with high domain authority as contenders for the zero position. These websites should show expertise, credibility, and popularity to be selected to pull a featured snippet for content.
Domain authority is an evaluation Google uses for trust, relevance, and authority, based on backlinks, topical relevance, user engagement, technical trust signals, like HTTPS, schema markup, and more.
How to improve domain and page authority:
- Earn high-quality backlinks.
- Demonstrate E-E-A-T
- Use internal links strategically.
- Build topical authority.
- Get social and brand mentions.
Include Images, Lists, and Tables
Google’s featured snippets are becoming increasingly visual and structured. By including well-formatted images, lists, and tables, you enhance your content’s scannability, helping Google extract and display relevant answers more effectively.
Win Featured Snippets with Trufla’s SEO Services
Want to improve your website’s SEO performance, rank on the first page, and get featured snippets? Trufla offers digital marketing and SEO services for small, mid-sized, and local businesses. We have a specialized SEO team with years of experience in the competitive insurance industry, helping brokerages and other types of businesses increase their online visibility, attract qualified leads, and dominate local search results with data-driven strategies. Book a demo now.