Google Search: What Are Rich Snippets and Why Should I Care?

google rich snippets

What Are Rich Snippets?

Rich snippets are a type of on page mark-up. google rich snippetsThey are the extra bits of text that appear under search results.  Think of them like bacon bits for search engines.  That extra pop of flavor that differentiates you from the plain old potato next to you.  Are they necessary?  That depends.  Do you want your listing to stand out?  If so, rich snippets are a great way to get your content noticed!

To understand the difference, look at this image of the Google results for search term “Battlestar Galactica”.   The second result is just a regular “snippet”.  The snippet of information that is displayed under the blue hyperlinks on the search results page.  The first result is a “Rich Snippet” and according to Google Webmaster Tools, it offers users a summary of  what’s on the page and why it’s relevant to their query.  Notice the difference?

Battlestar Galactica Google Search Results

Why Should I Care?

Which result was your eye drawn toward?  The one with the pretty yellow stars?  Precisely.  That is why you should care about Rich Snippets.  If that is not enough, then how about higher search engine rankings?  Even in this example, the listing with the Rich Snippet ranked higher than the listing without.

If you are an author, there is even more reason to implement Rich Snippets.  Look at the three search results for the search term “social media marketing”.  Which one are you most likely to click on?  Yep, the one with the smiling face.  Don’t you want it to be YOUR smiling face getting all those clicks?

Types of Rich Snippets

  • Breadcrumbs
  • Events
  • Music
  • Organizations
  • People
  • Products
  • Recipes
  • Review ratings
  • Reviews
  • Software applications
  • Videos

How To Implement

Pick a data format and include the markup in your content.  Google suggests using microdata, as outlined at schema.org, but any of the three formats below are acceptable. You don’t need any prior knowledge of these formats, just a basic knowledge of HTML.

Once your content is marked up, test it using the structured data testing tool.

Google Authorship

Single Author Blog

Remember the example with the smiling face next to his content?  You can be that face!  Well, not THAT face, but you can see your face.

First, you’ll need to create a Google+ Profile with a good, recognizable headshot as your profile photo, if you do not already have one. Then, verify authorship of your content by associating it with your profile using either of the methods below.  Disclaimer:  Google doesn’t guarantee to show author information in Google Web Search or Google News results.

  1. Make sure you have a profile photo with a recognizable headshot.
  2. Make sure a byline containing your name appears on each page of your content (for example, “By Kimberly Reynolds”).
  3. Make sure your byline name matches the name on your Google+ profile.
  4. Verify you have an email address (such as kimreynolds@dashburst.com) on the same domain as your content.
  5. If you don’t have an email address on the same domain, then use Option 2.
  1. Create a link to your Google+ profile from your webpage, like this:
      <a href="[profile_url]?rel=author">Google</a>

    Replace [profile_url] with the your Google+ profile URL, like this:

      <a href="https://plus.google.com/112643716740116237079?
       rel=author">Google</a>

    Your link must contain the ?rel=author parameter. If it’s missing, Google won’t be able to associate your content with your Google+ profile.

  2. Add a reciprocal link back from your profile to the site(s) you just updated.
    • Edit the Contributor To section of your Google+ profile.
    • In the dialog that appears, click Add custom link, and then enter the website URL.
    • If you want, click the drop-down list to specify who can see the link.
    • Click Save.
  3. To see what author data Google can extract from your page, use the structured data testing tool.

Multi-Author Blog

Establishing authorship on a multi-author blog can be a little trickier.  You have several different options.

  1. Have each individual author link to their Google+ profile on each article using: <a href=”[profile_url]?rel=author”>Google</a>.
  2. If your website has individual author bio boxes or uses biography pages, then they can link directly to their Google+ profile.
  3. If you are using a WordPress blog, you can use a plugin like Google Author Link and if you are using Joomla, you can try the Joomla Authorbox.

Note:  If the snippet doesn’t appear in the Webmaster Tools Rich Snippets Test, try checking the url you have entered in the contributing site section on your Google+ profile page.  If url does not include “www” you should try adding it.  I have not found this to be a problem, but some sites do need the “www”.

Conclusion

Rich snippets are a relatively easy to use type of on page mark-up that can set you apart from the competition, increase your click through rates, and possibly, increase your page rank.  Though Google stipulates that marking up your data for rich snippets won’t affect your page’s ranking in search results, and Google doesn’t guarantee to use your markup, they do state that you can improve the rank of your site by creating content that users will want to use and share.  How is that determined, by click-through rate.  Rich snippets increase click-through rate, which results in higher rankings.

 

Have you implemented Rich Snippets?  What’s your experience been so far?  Have they helped you find more valuable content?  I’d love to know your thoughts!

 

 

By Kimberly Reynolds

Kimberly Reynolds is a social media and mobile marketing consultant that transforms ordinary websites into powerful marketing machines. A serial entrepreneur since she was 12, selling books door-to-door, she now trains small business owners on how to leverage social media and the mobile web to attain financial freedom. If you are interested in how to use social media to outshine your competition, visit her website for a free social media analysis and social media training.

19 comments

  1. Should you use your old Google Plus ID – My id recently went to my first and last name. I have not seen any information regarding this situation. Any help or insight would be appreciated.

  2. Great post Kimberly! I’ve been using Google Authorship for about a year now and I found that my referrals from Google went up dramatically the week I implemented it. I highly recommend it to others!

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