What Is Position Zero?

Search engines are amazing tools for providing information and promoting businesses. Websites like Google or Bing try to ensure that they provide accurate and helpful results to users’ searches. Because of this, the order in which these results are placed matters. While many websites focus on being the first to show up in a search, there’s another position that can help your website too. Before first place, there’s position zero, the result offered directly by Google. In this article, we’ll discuss in detail what position zero is and how to get your website there. First, we’ll cover what a position on Google is in general, then what it means to come before the first result. Finally, we’ll discuss SERP positions and how it affects your business.

Google position

Google Position

If you’ve ever wondered what a Google position is, you’re not alone. No, Google positions aren’t just jobs at the company in question. They’re the order in which Google presents the results of your search. As a search engine, Google strives to put the most helpful and the most accurate results first. Because of this, the results of a Google search are presented in a hierarchy. The implication is that the first few websites would be the best results for your search. Similarly, people are more likely to click on the first result or the second than they are to go searching through multiple pages. This means that the position of a website in Google’s results is very important. While many sites strive to be in the first position on Google, some may even want to go further than that. 

Position Zero

Have you ever Googled something and gotten the answer before the first result? If you have, that answer was at Position Zero in the results of your search. They may also be called a “featured snippet.” These results are provided directly by Google without having to actually click on any of the results from your search. These results are often direct answers to questions entered into the search engine. They are also accompanied by a link to the website that Google is using as a source.

Featured snippets come in a few varieties. They can be a paragraph of text that answers your query. Some paragraphs may even be accompanied by an image. Paragraphs are the most common result featured at position zero in a search’s results. They may be short, like when you look for the definition of a word, or longer if your search involves a more complicated explanation. Other results may be placed in the form of a list, bulleted or ordered. Typically for bulleted lists, the order doesn’t matter. Ordered lists are similar except Google places these results in a specific order, usually chronologically. For example, if you search for a list of the United States Presidents, your results are likely to be in order. Or if your search requires specific steps, like changing a tire or making an omelet. 

While many featured snippets pull information directly from the source website, some require that Google do a little bit more work. Some results come in the form of tables or graphs created by Google itself. Tables are often the result of questions that compare subjects across a shared similarity, like “who is the richest CEO?” Others may involve video results that include specific time stamps for the exact answers to your question. Google may even answer your inquiry itself, without citing any sources if the answer is common knowledge. For example, questions like “how many feet in a mile” or “what year is it?” will be answered directly without citing a website as a source. 

position zero

How Do I Get a Featured Snippet? 

If you’ve spent any time trying to optimize your search engine results, you’re probably already wondering how to secure a featured snippet for yourself. In case you weren’t aware, Google positions are a huge part of online marketing today. While being at first position is great, being at position zero can be even better. Securing a featured snippet position can greatly benefit your business by placing it above even the top organic results. Users are more likely to click the first few results, so why not be the very first! This will bring more users to your website which will also increase brand awareness for your business. 

Being the source of a featured snippet also gives your business a fair share of credibility, since Google itself trusts your answer. This will show that your website is a verified and credible source of information according to Google. Because of this, users are more likely to click on the accompanying link, bringing more traffic to your website. 

Become a Featured Snippet

In order to become a position zero result, you’ll need to research what the current featured snippets that relate to your industry are. Most featured snippets are results for specific questions. Other times, googling a word by itself can provide a featured snippet that defines said word. This is an incredibly important part of getting your website to position zero on Google. 

While your site may come up first for typical keyword searches, getting to position zero may involve answering common industry questions on your website. Position zero results usually aim to provide a quick, easy answer to a question. Your website should include a straightforward, basic answer and a more detailed explanation available within your website. Users will often read a featured snippet for a brief overview but still click on the website for any additional details. Your website should answer the question concisely to be a featured snippet, but still provide enough supplementary information so that users will find your site useful. It may also help to provide information in sections or headers titled after your target question. 

serp position

Forms of Position Zero Results

Position zero answers typically take one of the forms mentioned earlier. Producing content that is in line with these forms can increase the chances that your website will become a featured snippet. Recipes, tables, and definitions are some very common featured answers that you can incorporate into your website’s content. One of the easiest ways to get to position zero is to produce content involving lists. Ordered steps, ingredients, and even rankings are popular lists found in featured snippets. Finally, having a well-maintained, trustworthy website will make your business credible enough to be a featured snippet. Google strives to provide accurate answers to searches. So having a credible, trustworthy brand will make you more likely to hold a position zero result. 

SERP Position

Even if you aren’t looking to become a featured snippet, how your business shows up on a search engine is incredibly important for your company. Your search engine results page (or SERP) position is where your website falls on the page of results from a search. Once again, this ranking affects how much traffic your website receives since most users will focus on the first few results. 

There are many tools at your disposal if you want to improve your SERP position. First, you may want to just search for some keywords related to your business and see where your site is amongst the results. You can also use a SERP checker for a similar result.

Once you’ve seen what your business’s SERP position is, you can improve your ranking by keeping your website up to date and optimized. One way you can do this is by keeping an eye on what searches don’t get many featured snippets. Then, you can optimize your website to better show up in searches that other businesses may not be targeting. 

what is position zero

Search Engines and Businesses

As we’ve discussed, search engines like Google can have a huge effect on your business. The first result in a search engine’s results page is a highly sought-after position, but your website could come even earlier. Position zero results, sometimes called featured snippets, are the bits of information provided directly from Google to answer a question. While it may seem like these direct answers would decrease traffic to your website, the accompanying link can draw in many users looking for additional details. 

To capitalize on this feature, optimize your business’s website to answer specific questions. Or, you can also define keywords that users are often searching for. Look at what kind of content is in position zero results and try to include it in your website. Lists and definitions can be easy ways to get to the top of a results page. Being the source of a featured snippet also lets users know that your website is a credible business that Google trusts. Google and other search engines are immensely important in online business, making SERP positions and featured snippets just as important to promoting your company. 

FAQ:

  • What does SERP stand for?
  • What is a featured snippet?
  • How can I get position zero on Google?
  • What are the forms of featured snippets?
  • How does Google position results?

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