The Zero Position, the Holy Grail of SEO?

Zero position, or “featured snippets“, are the elements without advertising objects at the top of Google’s SERPs (result pages), located above natural links.

These featured snippets are highlighted by Google, providing a direct and relevant answer to users.

They present major challenges in terms of visibility and traffic, especially with the rise of voice searches. These snippets are displayed at the very top of the search page, above the traditional first organic positions, and are usually presented with a title, an extract of a direct answer to the question asked by the user and the URL of the source site. It is sometimes accompanied by a photo, a bulleted list or a table.

Why do you want to reach the zero position in the SERPs? There are two main benefits, which are increasing traffic and improving your ranking in voice search results. By maximizing your chances of appearing in zero position on search engines, you will improve the traffic to your website. By offering a direct answer to users’ questions you encourage visits to your site, which will improve your traffic. The second interest of the zero position is that it is the answer given during voice searches, both on mobile phones and via voice assistants. As this search method is becoming more and more popular, as discussed in our article on 2019 marketing trends, it is important to maximize your chances of being the selected answer. In any case, reaching zero position means improving your web referencing, your traffic and your positioning in search results.

The purpose of these featured snippets for Google is to be able to respond directly to the needs of Internet users by offering them the most relevant results from the SERPs. Chosen by Google’s algorithm, this position is neither definitive nor assured. There are however some SEO optimizations to take into account to maximize its chances of appearing at this desired position.

To optimize your chances of reaching the zero position in Google SERPs, here are some tips.

The first step is crucial, it is to analyze the different keyword opportunities on which you would like to position yourself with a digital ecosystem analysis. The first step is to analyze the different keyword opportunities you would like to position yourself on with a digital ecosystem analysis, and then create quality content, optimized for featured snippets, but not only. Indeed, the quest for zero position should not affect the user experience on your site. When creating your content, also think about creating FAQs, which will allow Google to find the question and the answer in the same place, increasing your chances of appearing in the zero position, thus on the first page of search engine results. Finally, don’t neglect basic SEO techniques, in order to facilitate Google’s exploration of your site, such as optimizing your title tags, keywords, image and video content.