Everything you need to know about Direct AnswersEverything you need to know about Direct Answers (item 0)
Google is reaching out to its users and, in order to make the search engine easier to use, has introduced the Direct Answers feature otherwiseknownas “featured snippets,” which directly answers users’ questions. The answers are taken from web pages that most accurately answer the questions asked. Therefore, making specific definitions available on our site can influence the gaining of expert status and generate additional traffic.
What is Direct Answers actually for?
As with Facebook, Google wants its users to spend as much time as possible on their platform, so hinting at ready-made solutions has become a natural way to keep users on the search engine and hold their attention for longer. Google is trying to respond to the needs of its users, especially mobile users, who want precise and quick directions right away, and every subsequent click makes them impatient.
Direct Answers, or “item 0” – what is it and how does it work?
Direct Answers displays as a precise summary, located at the top of the page between Adwords ads and search results, or sometimes and above . A well-optimized sub-page for the DA query and a lot of valuable content, gives us a chance to achieve the so-called “0” position, and rank in the top10. However, achieving “position 0” also requires the creation of a rule of thumb that answers, in the right way, the selected question. The answer to the question can be in a longer text, which will provide the user with the answer in a comprehensive way.
“Position 0” in the search engine – how to do it?
In order for our result to be selected by Google as “position 0”, it is worth taking the following steps:
- Prepare a unique answer to a question that starts with “how to make?”, “how to cook?”, “how to make?”, “what is it?”, “why?”, “when?”, “where?”. Once you’ve done that, put a few definition sentences in the form of a rule or clear directions and include them in an article on your site.
- Remember to ensure that the URL is properly optimized. This address should not be too long, contain keywords and as few subdirectories as possible. The simpler and clearer the URL, the better.
- Remember to make sure your content is up-to-date and useful to users. The site should contain engaging content so that the rejection rate is as low as possible.
- With Direct Answers, scoring using selected semantic indicators can be very helpful, especially for recipes or instructions.
- Remember to use specific key phases. You need to take into account that general words, should be turned into more specific ones. For Direct Answers, the degree of precision included in the texts is extremely important.
Keep in mind that the implementation of the above guidelines is not a guarantee, the appearance of the site in Direct Answers, but it certainly makes it much easier.
Is it even worth it to be on Direct Answers?
Direct Answers is a new tool and will continue to evolve as Google’s search engine develops. Therefore, it is worth considering the consequences of obtaining a “0 position”, as there is no clear answer yet whether such a position will be a useful solution for us. Advantages of DA:
- Positive impact on the company’s image,
- Appearing as an expert, in a particular field,
- our site can appear a minimum of two positions in the top10, including “position 0”
- A visible distinction that is found in search results,
- convenience for the user,
- Faster acquisition of SERP positions, largely through quality content,
- Motivation to create useful as well as valuable content on the site using the indicated long-tail phrases.
What risks does Direct Answers carry?
We need to keep in mind that a user who has already received a satisfactory answer may not click on the link to our site, which will reduce traffic to it. In addition, Google is testing a solution to remove the second search result from the SERP when the first one is in the DA. The topic itself is certainly worth watching and should continue to be watched closely.
