A snippet is a short description of a website page that is displayed in search engine results. It consists of the page title (title tag) and the text that best matches the user’s query.
As an illustration, here is a snippet from Google search results. The snippet serves as a kind of business card of the site in the search results, informing the user about the content of the page. An active call to action and a concise description help to attract the user’s attention and motivate him to click on the link, thereby increasing organic traffic and increasing the credibility of the site.
An efficiently composed snippet increases the clickability of a website in search results, which positively affects its ranking on Google.
What does a snippet consist of?
A snippet is a short description of a web page in search results that includes three main components:
- Title: Formed from the Title meta tag. If the meta tag is not filled in or is filled in incorrectly, search engines will automatically generate a title based on the content of the page.
- URL: Displays the site’s navigation structure, helping the user understand where the page is located in the context of the website.
- Description: Generated from the Description meta tag. In the absence of this meta tag, the search engine will select the most relevant part of the page text that contains the user’s query.
Google search results may also display additional elements, such as site navigation headings or the option to translate a page using Google Translate.
The effectiveness of a snippet largely depends on the correct filling of the Title and Description meta tags. A correct description and inclusion of key queries ensure an accurate display of the page content in the search results. In case of errors or missing meta tags, search engines adapt the content of the snippet using the available text from the page.
How to create a high-quality snippet
Creating an effective snippet begins with the development of SEO-optimized meta tags. For the title tag, the recommended length should not exceed 80 characters, and for the description tag – no more than 270 characters. The use of emojis and special characters can improve the visual appeal of a snippet and make it stand out among others. It is important to place keywords at the beginning of the title and description for better visibility.
Additional tips for creating an attractive snippet:
- Use a unique Favicon to make your site recognizable.
- Customize the navigation chain (“breadcrumbs”) with the help of code or special plugins, for example, BreadCrumb for WordPress, which is especially important for Google.
- Use micro-markup to improve data structuring. It is recommended to pay attention to such vocabularies as Schema.org and Open Graph.
- Register your website with Google for better interaction with the search engine.
- Keep in mind that Google does not provide for the possibility of manual editing of quick links; they are generated automatically for websites with good traffic and compliance with SEO standards.
What determines the clickability of snippets in the SERP?
Predicting user behavior on the Internet and, as a result, the clickability of snippets is a task with a high degree of uncertainty.
However, thanks to numerous studies conducted between 2006 and 2014, certain patterns have been identified. The results show that the largest number of clicks are on snippets located in the first five positions in search results.
The 2015 study expanded the scope of the analysis to include the behavior of mobile users, as well as the difference between branded and non-branded queries.
The main conclusion is that the quality and correct optimization of the snippet significantly affect the position of the site in the search results. A well-designed snippet can ensure that a website gets into the top 5 search results, which, in turn, leads to an increase in traffic to the site and has a positive effect on the number of requests, applications, and orders.
Recommendations for improving snippet clickability
Snippet click-through rate (CTR) plays an important role in determining the position of a website in search results for a particular query. This indicator is based on two main aspects:
- Keyword relevance: The snippet should accurately reflect the content of the page according to the user’s search query. To achieve this, keywords should be integrated into the title and description text.
- Attractiveness of the description: You can increase interest in the snippet by using micro-markup. Effective use of micro-markup allows search engines to highlight important information on the page and present it in the search results, thus increasing the attractiveness of the snippet for users.
How to create an extended snippet?
To create an extended snippet that will be more informative and attractive due to additional elements, such as ratings, addresses, contacts, and others, you use micro-markup. Schema.org is one of the most widely used micro-markup dictionaries that allow search engines to understand the data structure of a web page in more detail and display it in an expanded form in search results.
To integrate microdata into your website, you need to add specific code to the HTML structure of the page. For example, for an organization, you can use the following code:
<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Organization”>
<span itemprop=”name”>Название Вашей организации</span>
Контакты:
<div itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”>
Адрес:
<span itemprop=”streetAddress”>улица, номер дома</span>
<span itemprop=”postalCode”>почтовый индекс</span>
<span itemprop=”addressLocality”>город</span>,
</div>
Телефон:<span itemprop=”telephone”>номер телефона</span>,
Электронная почта: <span itemprop=”email”>email</span>
</div>
In addition, you can use microformats such as hCard for contact information, hProduct for product descriptions, and hCalendar for event descriptions. For example, you can use the following markup for contact information:
<div class=”vcard”>
<div class=”fn”>Иван Иванов</div>
<div class=”org”>ИП Иванов</div>
<div class=”tel”>777-888-9999</div>
<a class=”url” href=”http://site.com/”>Личный сайт</a>
</div>
Implementing such markup will help search engines better understand the content of your page and provide the user with more complete information in the snippet, increasing the chances of a click.
FAQ
1. What is a snippet?
A snippet is a short description of a web page that is displayed in search engine results. It contains the title, URL, and description of the page, helping the user to understand what is on the page before clicking on the link.
2. What does a snippet consist of?
A snippet consists of three main elements: the title, which is taken from the page’s title meta tag, the URL, which shows the page’s location in the site structure, and the description, which is formed from the description meta tag or the page content.
3. Why do you need a snippet?
A snippet helps search engine users quickly determine the relevance of a web page to their query, which increases the likelihood of clicking on a link if the content of the snippet meets their information needs.
4. How can you improve the clickability of your snippet?
You can improve your snippet’s clickability by optimizing the title and description to include keywords and provide clear, concise information about the page’s content. You can also use micro-markup to add additional elements such as ratings, prices, or product availability.
5. Can snippets change over time?
Yes, snippets can change as search engines are constantly updating their algorithms and may select different parts of the page content to be displayed as a snippet. In addition, if webmasters update the title and description meta tags, this will also affect the snippet.
