What are Rich Snippets?
Introduced in 2009, rich snippets served as a sneak preview of a Google search result. It adds extra information to a listing to further assist users in finding what they’re looking for. Depending on the content of a page, the additional details will include customer reviews, event information, etc.
To help your page become eligible to display rich snippets when it’s shown in search results, you need to implement structured data markup. Incorporating this technique makes it easier for the search engines to parse, crawl and display your content.
Are they the same rich cards?
Rich snippets and rich cards are different. However, the latter is the next step for the former. These two use structured data markup, but their functions are distinct.
Rich cards are displayed in a carousel, and they’re at the top of search results. They’re designed to enhance search user experience on mobile.
Rich snippets are displayed with ordinary search results. Even if your site isn’t eligible for rich cards, it might be for rich snippets.
Do they affect rankings?
They’re not a ranking factor. However, they can generate SEO benefits, although indirectly.
How? They can make your page easily indexable. Rich snippets also offer more accurate metadata. They also increase click-through rate and reduce bounce rate. Plus, they encourage longer time on site.
If there’s an increase in user engagement with your page, it can lead to higher rankings. As a result, it’ll drive more traffic.
Rich snippets will help you visitors know what you do and see your social proof. If you have an e-commerce site, for example, you can use rich snippets to pre-qualify traffic.
But be careful in using structured data. Google checks every site to ensure that the page’s structured data meet relevancy standards. If your page doesn’t comply with the rules, Google can disable rich snippets for that page to maintain a high-quality search experience.
Apart from disabling rich snippets, it can also penalize your site. To avoid it, make sure that you’re using the right structured data. You may use the Structured Data Testing Tool of Google to know whether or not your page uses the correct code for the page.
Rich snippets are great. But you need to make sure that you know how they work. To avoid being penalized, make sure that you’ve used the tools of Google to find out what works and what doesn’t for your industry.
If you’re not sure how to use structured data markup, you may talk to one of our SEO experts at SEO Expert Danny:
