You have undoubtedly seen rich search engine results when sending a query through Google or Bing, but have you thought about how you can leverage them for your business?
What Does a Rich Search Engine Result Look Like?
Essentially, the rich search results (also called rich snippets) appear more prominently on the results page, usually with more information, tools and links that help users find the content they want quickly. According to Google, these snippets tell a user whether or not the information is relevant before they click the link.
There are many types of content that appear as rich search results:
- Maps
- Wikipedia entries
- Site maps
- Calculators
- Business listings
- Definitions
- Translations
- Photos
- Recipes
Some in the industry are not fans of rich search engine results, claiming it takes away the “clicks” they aim to get when they create and implement SEO strategies. On the other hand, what if you could leverage rich content to bring more traffic to your website?
Related: What is a zero-click search?
How to Create Rich Content for Search Engines
Simple:
- Create content so good that search engines rank it at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) with markup schema.
- Create content so good that users want to click and learn more.
Okay, not so simple, as most SEO content writers and web developers will tell you. But read on for a bit more information on how to do both.
Markup Schema
Markup schema is a type of microdata (also called structured data) that tells search engines what type of content you have. The schema are defined by industry-standard markups for website code.
Let’s say you write a blog post about lemon kale salad. Adding recipe markup schema to the webpage code will significantly improve the chances of your article appearing as a rich snippet in SERPs.
To add schema markups to your website code, you can:
- Manually add it;
- Use a generator then paste it into the code; or
- Use a website plugin.
Create Great Content
The more people click on your URL from SERPs, the better your chances that search engine algorithms rank your content higher. Make your result irresistible with a strong title, clean URL, meta description, images with keyword-rich alt text and great copy.
This is where your content writers, SEO strategists and web developers come in. Create content with your audience in mind first (ideal client personas are critical for mapping out their buying journey in this step), then optimize the webpage on the front- and backends so search engines can easily find it when your audience searches.
Need a team to help you create content so good that your audience and search engines want to find it? Contact us to learn more about our website services.
