When we put in a search in Google, we may or may not notice that the top spots are reserved for paid ads. Now, the question we are asking today is; do search engine users actually recognize these paid result, what are the latest snippets recognized too for access to smarter links and what is this new Facebook feature that involves WhatsApp?

Users Do Recognize Paid Search Results – Google

So some time ago, there was this challenge against a journalist from a Google engineer based on the journalist’s report which states that many people cannot actually differentiate between an organic (meaning a free) search result and a paid ad results. In his report, the journalist claims that over 50% of people usually between the ages of 18 – 34 cannot actually tell the difference between a paid ad and a free result search on Google. The journalist also claims that for people above 35 years of age, this percentage of people is higher in proportion. This report was made on the Twitter platform.

According to the Google engineer Paul Haahr, his response to the reported tweet was that there were key points, but, the claim was essentially not true based on his conducted research from the sites last search. Engineer Paul Haahr also went ahead to defend Google’s ad practices saying that all paid ads are labelled accordingly and if a search is made where the results are mostly non-commercial, then there may be no advertised results.

Featured Snippets Linking to Sections in the Content

Google has been over the years adding information upon information to the results from searches to enable them to improve their quality of search experience. These results include both organic and paid ads. These snippets are mediums which are used to provide users with a proper and most direct answer to their searching without having to make them click through so many links in order to get a specific answer.

Let us break this down a little shall we? Let us know what featured snippets are, the types of featured snippets and how to get a featured snippet.

What is a Featured Snippet?

A featured snippet is a definite answer provided by Google which Google decides will fit our question or search. This text quoted as a snippet is automatically taken directly from the web page which is linked to the snippet.

Generally, snippets are shown above the free search results and below the paid ad results and even with its position, snippets are generally neutral. They do not promote a paid ad and neither do they push a free search result of the result page.

The Different Types of Snippets

Based on a broad scope, we can say that snippets can be categorized into 3 areas

  • Text snippets: text snippets are simply phrases or paragraphs adopted by Google and quoted back should Google think the answer fits the question put into the search engine query. Some text snippets appear alone while some others may appear with accompanying pictures.
  • Video snippets: apart from the traditional text snippets, Google may decide that a video would be best to serve as an answer to the question given. This cases like this, a video snippet would be shown and if clicked, this would in turn link you to the main domain.
  • Lists and table snippet: sometimes, depending on the search query, Google may decide that text or video may in fact not be the best answer to the question and it would give you a table or list of answers instead. This date is not any different from the text snippet as it is also taken from a linked page even if the data extracted in itself is not very well structured.

How to get a Featured Snippet

This is a much-asked question. How to get a snippet for your domain featured.  The answer is simply that, it is up to Google. Google decides which featured snippets are best to answer a particular search and which domain will be used for this answer.

Voice Search with Featured Snippets

A fantastic and important part of featured snippets is that they come with their Google voice search uses.in this case, when a voice search is put in, as opposed to typing a search and getting your top 10 answers, you actually get only one; that which Google decides answers best to your question.

How to Differentiate Between Featured Snippet and One Box.

This is easy actually. One box based on a Google search is usually a video in answer to your search but this box does not just contain the video but additional information which is not gotten from the same domain as the video; whereas, a featured snippet comes from entirely one domain.

Some featured snippets in Google search results are not just linking to pages or domains but are now going beyond that to link you to the very section of the content of the page that is most relevant with your search query. As of now, this brand new feature only works on AMP contents that are included in the featured snippet block as well as some specific searches on Google mobile.

To see how this link works – actually, see the fragments linking in action – simply get out your smartphone and do a Google search for what a VPN actually does. an AMP content should come up in the featured snippet. By clicki8ng on that link, you should immediately be taken to the particular section of the host page that answers your question. As a matter of fact, this section should appear highlighted. Even though this feature already works for Google mobile searches, there are simply no words yet as to when it will be available for Google desktop searches.

Facebook New Feature, Analytics for Click to Whatsapp Ads

Before we go any further, a click to WhatsApp ad is simply an ad that when clicked on, launches a WhatsApp chat from the Facebook page.  This update is designed to help boost business exposure on WhatsApp.

This works by allowing advertisers to create a newsfeed ad with a call to action button from which users have the ability to open a WhatsApp chat with the business. This chat comes with a default message which users can then edit to their specifications before sending in order to help establish a relationship via WhatsApp.

In order to enjoy this feature, the advertisers in question need to have both a WhatsApp business account and a Facebook ads manager account. These accounts need to be connected and this can be done from the Facebook ad manager settings.

The benefits of this feature include:

Easier communication between businesses and potential customers from Facebook to WhatsApp.

The strenuous and unnecessary hassle of phone calls is eliminated from this line of this communication. It is all instant messaging

A business with a WhatsApp business account app has access to several business-friendly features making is user-friendly and easier to manages businesses.

With an average of about 1.5 billion users and 450 million daily active users, would you not want to give WhatsApp business a go?