Rich Snippets

Google provides search results based on the information contained in our websites. Generally the more informative the information we give search engines, the better they can output this data to visitors. With rich snippets, websites that contain content such as reviews or business listings can label their content to make it easier for search engines to find and display in search results.

In the example below there is a number of stars and reviews featured for the two hotel websites based in Ireland. Reviews immediately catch a visitor’s eye and draw them in to focus on that search listing.  Reviews are a great way reassuring customers that your service is of a high standard.

Google will also display people profiles, business listings and event information in the same way as the image above. In order to help search engines to display rich snippets you have to help format your content.

You can mark up your structured HTML content with any of three formats: microdata, microformats, or RDFa. You can use whichever standard you prefer. You don't need any prior knowledge of these formats, just a basic knowledge of HTML.

Once you have formatted your reviews, business listings, profiles and event information you will then have to submit it to Google. I would recommend going through these steps to have rich snippets displayed in Google for your business, if it meets the relevant criteria. It is a great way to make your website stand out in search engines and will help with the overall online marketing of your website.

The video below by Google's Matt Cutts gives a good insight into the importance of textual content on e-commerce websites. As usual it comes down to having strong original content in the website. This is a theme that we have been advising our clients on for many years.

I am constantly emphasizing the importance of good content to market your product or service and improve the SEO value of your website. Blogging is an easy and cost effective way of producing engaging content that will establish your company as a thought leader in your market.