What are Rich Snippets & How To Get Them

Rich snippets are a powerful feature in search engine results pages, providing extra information for users and a significant visibility boost for sites lucky enough to get them. But what exactly are rich snippets, and how do you get them? In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about rich snippets, including how to implement them to boost your website’s visibility and click-through rates.

What Are Rich Snippets?

Rich snippets are enhanced search results that show extra information alongside the usual meta title, description and clickable links to pages in SERPs. Depending on the keyword’s search intent and content on your page, rich snippets can include customer ratings, images, prices, and other relevant details that help users find what they’re looking for more easily.

For example, if you search for a recipe, a rich snippet typically includes the recipe rating, cooking time, and a thumbnail image right on the results page, like this:

Schema markup is the backbone of rich snippets. It is a type of microdata used to create an enhanced description (aka a rich snippet) from structured data your site communicates to search engines.

What is Structured Data?

Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content. It’s a way of telling search engines what your data means, not just what it says, and using structured data helps search engines understand the context of your content, which is crucial for rich snippets.

Types of Rich Snippets

There are various types of rich snippets, each designed to highlight different types of content and serve a different purpose. Common examples include:

• Product Snippets: Show product information like price, availability, and reviews.
• Recipe Snippets: Display details such as ingredients, cooking time, and ratings.
• Review Snippets: Highlight customer reviews and ratings.
• Event Snippets: Provide information about upcoming events, including dates and locations.
• FAQ Snippets: Present questions and answers directly in the search results.

How Rich Snippets Boost SEO

Rich snippets improve user experience by delivering more information at a glance, making it easier for users to decide which link to click on. Sites with rich snippets in SERPs stand out in a sea of plain text results, significantly improving visibility and click-through rates (CTR).

After all, a product listing with a high rating and a competitive price is more likely to be clicked than a plain text link. And having increased visibility compared to competitors with features like images or ratings makes it easier for users to notice your page in the first place.

How to Get Rich Snippets

So, how do you use structured data to get rich results for your website in Google’s search results? It’s actually fairly simple to get Google rich snippets for your site, but there’s still a few steps you need to follow to make sure you get it right. Don’t worry, we’re here to walk you through it! 

1. Choose the Right Schema

Structured data and rich snippets go hand in hand. Whether it’s for a product, recipe, event, or another type of content, you need to find the right schema for your structured data markup so search engines understand the extra data you’re providing. Schema.org has a comprehensive list of all available schema types and tags required, so start there.

2. Add Schema Markup to Your HTML

Once you’ve found the relevant schema for the type of rich snippet you want, you need to add structured data to your page by inserting the relevant schema tags into your code. Structured data uses specific markup languages like JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa to annotate your content, but you don’t need to know how to code to implement schema markup, as it can be done in various ways.

• Manually: Add the necessary JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa tags directly into your HTML.  This is best suited for people who are comfortable with custom code.
• Using Plugins: If you’re using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, you can use SEO plugins to add your schema markup. 
• Built-in: Your website platform may have built-in schema markup features to support your SEO strategy, especially if you are taking advantage of their tools exclusively for e-commerce, local businesses, etc. If you’re not sure about this, the next step will tell you if you need to implement schema markup or if it’s been done for you.

3. Test Your Schema Markup

Before you let search engines know about your new schema markup, you need to check that it’s been implemented correctly. Google’s Rich Results Test is the best tool to use for this if you’ve published the changes on your website already. Alternatively, if you want to test the schema markup code before publishing, you can use Schema.org’s validator tool.

4. Submit Your Page for Indexing

Once your markup is tested and verified, submit your updated page to Google Search Console for indexing. This step tells Google to re-crawl your page and recognize the new structured data.

5. Monitor Your SERP Features

After your structured data is live, you can use Keywords Overview to see which SERP features are visible for your page. If the icon is highlighted in the report, your page has the feature in SERPs. If not, it’s available on SERPs, but your page doesn’t have it. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

This might sound fairly simple, but there are several common mistakes you can make when trying to optimize your site in Google search results pages, including:

Incorrect Schema Markup Implementation

Mistakes in your page’s schema markup can prevent search engines from generating rich snippets, so even though you might feel confident with your implementation, always validate your code.

Using Irrelevant Schema Types

Irrelevant schema markup can confuse search engines and harm your SEO efforts. For example, don’t use recipe schema for a blog post about travel, which might seem like a no-brainer but is an easy mistake to make if you’re implementing schema markup in bulk. 

Overusing Schema Markup

Avoid marking up every piece of content on your website, as this can make your markup look spammy and lead to penalties from Google. You should only use schema markup where it adds value and makes sense. 

Why We Love Rich Snippets

The goal of rich snippets is to create more informative and attractive search results, which is a win for users and the sites showing in the search results. 

For website owners, rich snippets are one of the best ways to enhance your page’s visibility and click-through rates, and they’re super achievable! With the right approach, you can improve user engagement, increase traffic, and boost your overall SEO performance, all with the power of structured data.

So take the time to follow the steps we’ve outlined in this guide to create rich snippets for all the relevant pages on your site and watch the traffic roll in!