In the constant struggle to get the website for your Irvine, CA-based company to rank with Google, you should know about one of the most potent weapons around: the featured snippet.

There are all sorts of strategies that you can use from an SEO standpoint to try and climb the SERPs, but having your company show up in a featured snippet is potentially extremely useful just because of how many clicks such snippets get. So, the question becomes, how can you secure a featured snippet on Google that will lead searchers to your site?

The Anatomy of the Featured Snippet

To figure out how to get a featured snippet for your Irvine, CA-based company, you first must understand how Google creates them.

You need to figure out which keywords your site is ranking for at present. The reason for that is because the overwhelming majority of featured snippets come from pages that already rank for that keyword. If you don’t rank in the top 10 for that keyword, or better yet, in the top 5, then the chances that you’re going to get a featured snippet for your site are remote.

You or your SEO company will also need to figure out which keywords you rank for which already have a featured snippet. The way you can do that is by using Ahrefs “Organic Keyword” report feature. It can quickly generate a report for you that will show you those two necessary rubrics.

Set Out Some Bait

You then want to create some bait that will entice Google into creating a featured snippet for your site. The optimal way to do that is to come up with a 40-60 word piece of content that would be perfect for a featured snippet spot. That’s the exact length that Google prefers.

What you’re looking is a precise block of text, ideally one or two sentences long, that features the keyword for which you already rank, and which answers a specific query that someone using Google might ask. Think about composing it like a “Jeopardy” answer.

There is no way you can force Google to create a snippet for you, no more than you can contact them and ask them very nicely to place your website in the number one spot. There is competition for everything with Google, and your Irvine, CA-based SEO company must understand the rules of the game if they are to land you a coveted feature snippet.

Make sure they do the research and figure out what’s going to give you the best shot at getting one. If they can manage it, a lot more website engagement for you is almost guaranteed.