Google Position Zero (P0) has now been around for almost five years. However, some still doubt the usefulness of obtaining such a position in the results of the most famous search engine in the world. Constantly evolving since their launch, this type of enriched results offers users unique search ease.
This trend tends to continue mainly through SXO: this hybrid optimization between user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO).
So you have every interest in knowing the secrets of this position for your website!

Mohd Shahrukh explains to you what Position Zero (P0) is and what the techniques are to achieve it.

What is Position Zero (P0)?

Position Zero (P0) is a straightforward answer to an Internet user’s query in a search engine. Position Zero (P0) is displayed directly on the results page (SERP), without the Internet user having to click on the title or the URL of the page from which the displayed response is extracted.

It is also called “Answer Box” or “Featured Snippet” literally: “the featured snippet”.
This corresponds precisely to a piece of content on a page generally already well positioned on Google.

It is called Position Zero (P0) simply because it is the highest result in the natural search results.

What does a Featured Snippet look like?

The Featured Snippet can be a paragraph of text, a table, or a bulleted or ciphered list. It is often accompanied by media such as a video or an image.

Here is an example of a Position Zero (P0) as text.
Here we typed “zero position” into Google, which gives us a concise and brief definition of the term.

Here, Position Zero (P0) displayed is a table corresponding to a price list.

The following Position Zero (P0) offers a bulleted list or “bullet points” of a Top 10.

Finally, the following extract corresponds to different steps of a tutorial, numbered from 1 to 5.

To find out more about the extract offered, you can click on the page’s title or, in some cases, on “More…”. This means that Google only displays part of the overall content likely to interest the Internet user to respond to his request.

Obtaining a Zero Position: The Five Commandments

1. The right opportunity you will choose
2. A simple question you will ask
3. Straightforwardly, you will express yourself
4. The right keywords you will choose
5. To the relative questions, you will answer

1. Analyze the opportunities available to you

Before you embark on creating content to get a Position Zero, first think about understanding the opportunity for your website.
Aiming for Position Zero (P0) is not necessarily helpful or at least a priority depending on your sector of activity.

So take a step back in your market and determine if there are questions you can provide a helpful answer for the Internet user.
This may be the case, for example, if your industry includes specific terms that require definitions. This is also the case if your area of ​​expertise allows you to make valuable lists or step-by-step guides to offer to Internet users facing a request.
If you tend to offer tables, bulleted lists, or numbered step guides, then Position Zero (P0) may well be an excellent opportunity for you!

In 2016, STAT conducted a study of 92,000 queries to determine which searches most often lead to a Zero Position.
Among which we found:

• Mathematics,
• Time,
• Finances,
• Transitions,
• Statuses,
• Health,
• DIY (Do It Yourself),
• The necessary elements,
• Research subjective (Top 10, best, etc.).

2. Ask the right question

To try to appear in Featured Snippets, you can try to answer several types of questions.

What?

Usually, the aim is to give a very clear and precise definition of a word or a subject. Note that Google has its “Knowledge Graph”, its knowledge database, and favours the latter for certain types of words. We, therefore, recommend that you try to answer “what is…” if it is a word, subject, or concept related to your field of professional activity.

How?

To correctly answer a question beginning with “how”, you need to detail the answer in several steps or give an exact formula. If they are too long, Google will display only part of them to leave users free to click to find out more. This can be an excellent way to drive clicks to your website. We know, for example, that in the case of a definition, Internet users tend to stay in the SERPs without needing to click to obtain an answer to their question.

Why?

The “why” questions are pretty challenging to target. The answers should be as short and straightforward as possible but also objective. Be sure to check the search volumes around your keyword, and don’t hesitate to use a tool such as an Answer The Public to find out if Internet users include a “why” in this word and what context. Go for this type of question if the answer can be objective and unbiased, with a quasi-scientific approach, like an encyclopedia.

What is?

“What is” or “what are” are pronouns that allow a multitude of questions. They are helpful both for questions whose answers are objective as well as subjective.
For example, we will think of straightforward questions, hoping for a single correct answer such as “what video format for Instagram” and more subjective questions such as “what is the best astrological sign”. The question is impossible to answer since there is no right or wrong answer.

We will also think about questions related to time: when? To places: where? To people: who? As well as encrypted data: how much? However, be careful before you tackle such questions. Google generally uses very reliable sources in its Knowledge Graph (such as Wikipedia, for example) to offer the best possible response to its users.

3. Offer a concise and straightforward response

As you know, Internet users are more and more impatient, and Google has understood it. No need to beat around the bush: offer a concise and straightforward answer. This is the very basis of the concept of Featured Snippets.

It would help if you adopted a very didactic editorial attitude so that your text has a chance of being selected as an extract on Google. So keep sentences short and straightforward. Ideally, the answer to your question should be in 50 words!

 

 

 

4. Optimize your page with the right keywords

Aiming for position zero is to embark on the work of an SEO specialist. Therefore, there is no secret: it is necessary to go through the study of keywords. Like any self-respecting content creator, you can’t start writing a text with a goal like Position Zero (P0) without going through it!

To choose your keywords, here are the things you should pay attention to:

• The volume of searches: the more your keyword is searched, the more likely you appear in Position Zero (P0).
• The relatively long queries (6 words or more) usually tend to cause the appearance of a Featured Snippet.
• Although the above questions are conducive to Zero Positions, do not overlook more direct and implicit words such as “cause”, “cost”, “what to do”.
• Also think of action verbs like “become”, “increase”, “make”, “obtain”, “learn”… etc.
• The competition: as with any choice of keyword, analyze much competition. The rougher it is, the harder it will be to get your precious Zero Position. On the other hand, you have a better chance if nobody is positioned in Featured Snippet on your request.

5. Offer rich and comprehensive content

It’s not just the answer to a specific question you need to focus on, but quality content around a particular topic. Your answer must be rich and as complete as possible. Do not focus on a single question; try to look beyond that by tackling related questions. Because in addition to your “Featured Snippet” and therefore “featured” extract, it is the entire page that Google must deem relevant. Think about the overall quality of your exclusive content and explore as many avenues as you need.

Do not hesitate to type the generic keyword you are targeting directly into Google. At the bottom of the page, the search engine offers a “Related searches” section. Enjoy it! If your content does not meet all of these associated searches, it is not complete enough.
The previously mentioned Answer The Public tool or the Keyword Tool will also allow you to answer related questions, and who knows, maybe even thus, to obtain other Zero Positions!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Position Zero (P0)

Among the advantages of Position Zero (P0), it seems that the latter allows increasing the traffic on its website significantly. According to Moz, obtaining a Position Zero (P0) could boost the number of clicks with a CTR rising by more than 100%!
Note that the response obtaining a Position zero is the response read to Internet users as part of a voice search. As we know, voice searches have been increasing in recent years, and this trend is likely to be confirmed in the future.

However, there are downsides to getting a Featured Snippet. These text extracts participate in the new trend of zero clicks.
Although in most cases, a Position Zero (P0) helps improve the click-through rate on their site, it could also be that your answer is so well done that the user does not even have to click on your page to get more information.
It’s up to you to subtly invite the click by arousing the interest of the Google user 😉

You are now armed to claim a Position Zero (P0) on Google! Now that you know what it is and how to achieve it, all you have to do is get started!
Once your content has been posted, you can follow its performance directly from the Google Search Console, which will allow you to quickly detect a Zero Position obtained via the “Appearances in search results” tab from your site’s performance.