What are rich snippets?

Rich snippets are “enriched” results within Google. That is, results with more information about the page the snippet leads to. Consider the reviews below a result, frequently asked questions below a result or, for example, a result with product information. In this article, I tell you more about it.

What is a rich snippet?

Rich snippets are enriched search results. These snippets provide more context and detail than standard search results. They give search engines additional information about a page’s content, using structured data.(1)

This additional information can include reviews, prices and events. Rich snippets, on the one hand, aim to improve the user experience, and on the other hand, they help search engines better understand the content of a page.

How do rich snippets affect SEO

Google itself indicates that forms of structured data (this is how you generate rich snippets) have no direct effect on positions in Google. Surely a rich snippet can have an indirect effect on a position in Google.

Rich snippets make search results more attractive and informative for users. This can result in a higher CTR (click-through rate).(2)

Think of a snippet that includes reviews, for example. The result is about a shoe store that already has 6,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.7/5. If this is below the result, then in most cases it has a positive impact on the number of people who click through to this result.

What are rich snippets (video)

No time for a long article? No problem. Watch the video below for a summary of this article.

How do you obtain rich snippets for your website?

Rich snippets are generated by structured data. There are several forms of structured data (and therefore rich snippets), but the most common are:

An overview of the forms of rich snippets / structured data can be found here. These are all supported by Google. Schema.org ‘s forms of rich snippets do not (all of them).

Summary

Rich Snippets are a strong and strategic element in the world of SEO. They increase visibility in search engines, increase CTR and provide a better user experience.

Applying Rich Snippets efficiently will greatly improve SEO performance. Rich Snippets also contribute to a richer and more informative online landscape for users.