Learn how to control various SERP components to have a stronger presence in organic search, paid advertisements, information panels, and pictures. We all want to possess as much SERP real estate as we can as search marketers since it increases traffic and visibility.
The issue is that page one is always updating.
Organic search results increasingly face competition from paid advertising, knowledge panels, maps, videos, featured snippets, and other content types for the attention of users.
Understand the Challenge of Competitive SERPs
The competition on search engine result pages (SERPs) is higher than ever. Numerous various media element categories are starting to rank. The emergence of new components on page one is the primary cause of the drop in organic traffic for top-performing keywords. In favor of advertisements, maps, media components, and featured snippets, the organic position has frequently dropped in importance. As a result, we refer to these components as being in “position zero,” as they outrank even the top organic results.
Zero-click searches are one of the SERP variations with the most fierce competition. A zero-click SERP is one where the solution is presented right on the results page, fulfilling the user’s search criteria without requiring them to click any further. So how can SEO experts continue to be effective as the SERPs get more crowded?
Use On-SERP SEO to Stay Competitive Against Position Zero SERPs
The process of optimizing the full first page is known as on-SERP SEO. The objective is to occupy as much space as possible on page one to boost CTR and produce more organic traffic. For SEO experts, on-SERP SEO requires a paradigm shift.
It is an integrated strategy to improve brand recognition and search visibility on page one. It is the SEO seizing control of all Google traffic, regardless of where it originates from the SERPs. This means that SEO specialists must work with a variety of media sources to control every pertinent area of page one to remain competitive in the world of zero-position SERPs.
The ‘Traffic Potential’ Mindset You Need to Succeed in SEO Today
To ensure the viability of your SEO strategy in the future, you must adopt the following critical attitude shift when conducting keyword research, identifying your target pages, and choosing target search terms:
Consider the updated SERP landscape.
You’re used to reviewing the following in conventional SEO analysis:
- Search terms.
- The volume of monthly searches.
- Keyword complexity.
Today, nevertheless, you must modify your efforts to take into account:
- The availability of featured excerpts.
- Other components of media.
- CTR for organic results has decreased.
As a result, you must now consider CTR when researching keywords and making decisions.
Most SEO tools have a traffic potential element you may use to do this. Here’s an illustration of a traditional no click, zero position search term from Ahrefs: “time Berlin”: Although Ahrefs reveals a substantial amount of queries, it also reveals that 80% of them go unanswered.
Instead of solely focusing on the monthly search traffic, you should start basing your assessments on this click potential. The best CTR and genuine organic traffic gains for the content you produce won’t come till then.
You may select terms where a strong organic position still correlates to good prospects for search traffic by looking at the genuine click potential.
Actionable Tactics to Optimize Your Website in Competitive SERPs
Now that we’ve changed your perspective, let’s talk about strategies to increase your search presence right away. We will discuss how to dominate various SERP components, such as a greater presence in organic search, paid advertisements, information panels, and photos, within these methods.
Optimize Your Top 10 Ranking Keywords to Win a Featured Snippet
Optimizing for featured snippets is an art form in and of itself; it is not an exact science. It appears that Google often uses information from the top 10 ranks at the time to fill up the featured snippet. To find out whether those keywords already have a featured snippet shown, the first step is to verify your current organic rankings (using tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.)
You can use those to choose your target pages and keywords for featured snippets optimization. The featured snippet’s goal is to provide a clear response to the user without requiring them to click or conduct additional research.
The second step is to take note of the featured snippet type that is shown for every one of your target keywords. Long-tail inquiries and, more frequently than not, question questions are displayed with featured snippets. Add such queries or keyword terms as a sub-headline to your text to optimize for the featured snippet.
Make a precise response to the sub-headline just underneath it. Depending on what Google prefers for that keyword, this could be a single paragraph (with an average word count of 45), an ordered or unordered list, or a table.
The better you can be, the more specific and factual you can be. Lists and data are frequently pulled by Google and displayed in the search results. Schema can even be used to markup comparison tables and lists.
Optimize for Google Site links
By placing connections to your website’s most crucial pages right in the search result, site links expand the visual area of your search results.
You can boost your chances of Google displaying your site links by building a clear navigational structure with strong internal links to the key pages and informative anchors and alt tags, even though you can’t force Google to do so.
Add Schema Markup When Appropriate
Schema markup for products, businesses, and reviews enables Google to comprehend the subject matter of your pages and content. On schema.org, you can review the many forms of schema markup and add them to your pages.
With the use of the review schema markup, Google may show a star rating alongside your organic search results, which improves the accuracy, legitimacy, and click-through rate (CTR).
Use & Optimize Google Business Profile
By validating and improving your Google Business Profile, you can gain a significant amount of visibility for local searches. Additionally, it will improve your visibility on Google Maps.
To visually lengthen and provide crucial information, your Google Business Profile should include all characteristics, facilities, and details of your company. You can use the review schema markup indicated above by gathering reviews for the listing.