What Is Position Zero?
Getting the number one ranking on Google is the ultimate compliment to a website. But leave it to the world’s largest search engine to find a way to make quick browsing more convenient. Recent innovations now provide small companies with another chance to earn a coveted spot, one that’s more helpful for both the user and you.
This spot is called Position Zero, and users see it first whenever they look at their Google returns. This position is where you want your website to be!
What Is “Position Zero”?
Position Zero is a feature that provides information to Google users looking for quick answers. The result is also called a featured snippet, and it summarizes the most relevant result in a small paragraph or list. It’s important because visitors can read the result, then follow the link to have their queries answered in more depth.
The name “Position Zero” comes from the location of the snippet on the returns – it’s above result number one. Users should note that “Position Zero” is a different feature than the answer box feature. The latter answers common questions users input into Google that might be relevant to the search. On the other hand, Position Zero can be more general in content, and it includes a portion of the website and a link to the source. This is why the snippet is important for a website: it organically promotes the best possible resource for the user. The conventional results are still listed, but a website that best answers the exact query goes beyond rank one. How Google summarizes this content so quickly might seem magical, but it all comes down to algorithms.
How Does Google Write Position Zero Content?
Contrary to popular belief, the content a visitor sees in the featured snippet isn’t taken from the beginning of a page, or even from just one paragraph. Google has built an algorithm that searches a page and gathers the content needed to make a concise, relevant answer. The program pulls from content across the page, and it can even reformat separate pieces of information into one list!
The way Google determines the page that will act as their snippet is similar to how they rank sites. Any listing on the first page of results has the potential to become the feature, but the majority of listings come from positions one through five in descending order of likelihood. This also means that a business can’t pay its way to the top – the snippet comes through relevance and search engine optimization.
The Importance Of SEO For Position Zero
Earning Position Zero starts with organically obtaining a position on the first page. Search engine optimization drives this, as it’s one of the main determiners for Google rankings. The right SEO and keyword strategy will catch the attention of Google’s algorithms and direct traffic to your site. Having rich, organic content will make it more likely that you will earn Position Zero on Google search results. It affects every component of a good website, from the text to the metadata to the image and video files. All of them must be as unique, up-to-date, and optimized with the right keywords as possible. When combined with effective design work that appeals to the visitor, you have a recipe for affordable digital marketing success!
