The Benefits of Rich Results in Plastic Surgery SEO
Rich results are a special type of Google result that shows additional details about a website. Designed to make the SERPs more interactive, these results often highlight business details, FAQs, cost numbers, images, and more. A study of 1.4 million search results by Perficient Digital found that the inclusion of rich answers has increased significantly over the years. In fact, the study concluded that these unique types of search results have actually more than doubled since 2018.
So what does this mean for you and your plastic surgery practice? When patients see a rich result—such as a featured snippet or knowledge panel—in their search results, it stands out from the rest of the listings. By achieving a spot in one of Google’s rich results, you have the potential to get more clicks from prospective patients, ultimately improving your chances of conversion.
What Is a Featured Snippet?
Have you ever entered a question or phrase into Google and found the answer presented neatly inside a box toward the top of your search results? Known as a featured snippet, this rich result typically shows at the top of the results page in “position zero.” If you see a featured snippet in your search results, chances are your eyes are immediately drawn to it. This box offers a succinct answer to your query and a link to the source page where you can learn more.
Featured snippets may be in the form of a paragraph, list, table, or even video. Here’s an example of one in paragraph form:
According to a study by Semrush and Brado, featured snippets are in 19% of SERPs for mobile users, and they take up at least 50% of the screen. With this rich result type being so prevalent and often dominating a searcher’s screen, it’s clear that optimizing your pages for featured snippets using best plastic surgery SEO practices can lead to significant traffic for your website
Why Should Plastic Surgeons Optimize for Featured Snippets?
Be Viewed as the Authority
When information from your practice’s webpage is highlighted in a featured snippet, Google is essentially saying your content is the most useful to users based on their specific search. Basically, Google is deeming you the “authority” on the subject, regardless of whether or not your page holds the #1 ranking position for said search (which we’ll get to in a second). In fact, when people are using voice search to ask questions or search the web, the featured snippet is usually what’s read aloud by their device.
Get Seen by Mobile Users
Furthermore, according to the Perficient Digital study (based on a random sample of 185,075 queries), rich answers occurred more frequently on mobile than desktop. As you may already be aware, mobile search is incredibly common, making the featured snippet even more of a coveted position. With local searches often occurring on smartphones, plastic surgeons can greatly benefit from getting in front of prospective patients looking for cosmetic surgery care near them.
Jump to the Top of Results
In many instances, the page from which the featured snippet text is taken isn’t always the top organic listing for queries. The beauty of this factor is that your page can technically be ranking much lower in the organic search results—potentially unseen by those who don’t scroll far enough—yet still appear higher than your competitors due to Google’s recognition of your content as the most digestible piece of relevant information.
Enjoy a Boost in Visibility
Last but not least, featured snippets tend to help boost the visibility of your site (which is probably a no-brainer given their prominence). Additionally, someone who finds the short answer to what they’re looking for in a featured snippet will often continue to the actual website to learn more. After all, the site featured above all other Google results is sure to be the most relevant and informative, right?
How Can I Get a Rich Result for Plastic Surgery Searches?
Depending on the type of Google search and specific topic, the criteria for earning a featured snippet will vary. By using certain strategies — such as formatting pages with structured data, taking advantage of long-tail keywords, and consulting AI chatbots for plastic surgery SEO insights — you can increase your chances of obtaining this coveted spot in the SERPs.
Google has continued to refine its algorithms over the years, and as a result, what makes plastic surgery SEO effective has evolved. While there are different approaches you can take to obtain a featured snippet, the bottom line is this: Rich results are fundamentally based on what has been found to be concise, relevant, and genuinely informative content, essentially “rewarding” and highlighting those sites that provide a direct and educational response to search queries.
While innovations like “zero-click searches” and the emerging Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) can have an effect on the display of results, the potential benefits of original, educational, and professionally-crafted content that clearly provides answers to what viewers are looking for continues to back up the notion that “content is king!”
Get Your Practice in Rich Results with Rosemont Media
Our team at Rosemont Media is experienced at identifying rich result opportunities, tracking these results, and strategizing to maintain or achieve this highlighted section of Google results. We have successfully helped many of our clients get their content front and center for plastic surgery searches, whether through featured snippets, knowledge panels, or the number one organic result.
If you’re ready to take your practice’s online marketing strategy to the next level and see your website highlighted in rich answers, please contact us today so we can help you get started.
Helpful Resources
The Rise of Rich Answers in Google Search – Future of Digital Marketing
Semrush: How To Optimize for Google Featured Snippets [Research]
Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on December 10, 2019.