What Are The Benefits Of Rich Snippets?

Consider rich snippets as a key SEO advantage. If you want your website to stand out on the search engine results page (SERP), rich snippets are your friend. Even better, rich snippets can possibly lead to more qualified traffic.

What are Rich Snippets?

When someone performs a Google search query, the SERP will serve a selection of websites that rank for the stated search terms. Typically, a website link most likely consists of a main headline with a few lines below the link, indicating what content can be expected on the page. These few lines of page information below the link are called the search result’s “snippet.” In 2009, Google further refined snippet results by introducing “rich snippets.” Rich snippets serve as a “sneak preview” for listings on the SERP and can supplement search query results with more detailed information. This additional information can help searchers gauge which website might best answer their search query. For example, search listings for a restaurant may show average reviews and price ranges, while a search result for a recipe may show information like average prep time and calorie information. Rich snippets facilitate websites to communicate with search engines in a different way. They consist of structured data that allow search engines to see different types of content on your site. These structured data markups, i.e. rich snippets, display supplemental “sneak preview” information about your site.

Benefits of Adding Rich Snippets to a Website

• Eye catching results – Drawing a search user’s attention from your competitors’ listings to your own result.
• Potential CTR increase – Possibly increasing click through rates and lowering the chance of the user ‘bouncing’ as they see more information about the page before clicking through (there is also the potential to deter users if the additional rich snippets information shows something they were not looking for).
• Providing ‘quality’ results – Offering results that could match the user’s intent more closely. On the downside, if the informational benefit of the rich snippet satisfies the users search query, it might eliminate the need to click through for further engagement.

In most cases, rich snippets could lead to higher user engagement with your pages and might land more qualified traffic. Therefore, rich snippets can help to pre-qualify website visitors. This can be particularly beneficial for e-commerce sites. The chance to highlight product information on the SERP might aid the site to stand out and garner SEO benefits at the same time. Look out for examples in a subsequent post.