Here’s what the state of the SERPs looked like in 2024:
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58.5% of Google searches in the US now result in zero clicks (SparkToro, 2024)
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Featured snippets drive significant brand awareness and authority even without direct clicks (SEMRush)
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Companies achieving featured snippets report increased brand recognition and credibility
You can see why optimizing for featured snippets needs to be a key part of your SEO strategy in 2025. Here’s how to do it:
This is an excerpt from my new (free) course on the Future of SEO. Access the full course here.
Step 1: Identify High-Value Snippet Opportunities
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Focus on commercial intent questions
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Track competitor snippet ownership
Mini-Tutorial: Analyzing Featured Snippet Opportunities with Ahrefs
Let’s use Ahrefs to identify high-potential featured snippet search opportunities:
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Log into your Ahrefs account
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Navigate to the “Keywords Explorer” tool
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Enter your main topic or keyword
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Filter results by “SERP features” and select “Featured snippet”
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Sort by search volume to prioritize high-impact opportunities
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Look for keywords with commercial intent that still have click potential
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Export your list for further analysis and content planning
This process will help you identify valuable zero-click opportunities that align with your SEO goals.
Step 2: Structure Content for Snippet Capture
Based on SEMRush’s Authority Findings:
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Question-answer formatting
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HTML structure optimization
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Strategic truncation
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Click trigger placement
Step 3: Implement Click Triggers
Here’s how to get traditionally zero-click searches into website traffic:
1. Create a curiosity gap
2. Add data references
3. Mention tools and resources
Example: “2025 ROI Formula [Full Calculation Table Below]…”
Step 4: Optimize for Multiple SERP Features
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Featured snippet targeting
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Video result optimization
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Image result placement
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FAQ schema implementation
That’s it from me this year! I’ll see you back here in the new year. In the meantime, you can access this new Future of SEO course (+14 other free courses) here.
-Jeremy
