Search Result Snippets Mainly Derived from Page Content: Google Says

Google has recently updated its snippets control help document to clarify the primary source of the snippets it presents within the Google Search results. The tech giant stated that these snippets primarily come from the content on the page, not from structured data or meta descriptions.

What Google Said About Search Result Snippets?

Google explained that it “Clarified in our documentation about snippets that the primary source of the snippet is the page content itself.”The previous wording incorrectly implied that structured data and the meta description HTML element are the primary sources for snippets.

Changes in the Snippets Control Help Document

Google updated the snippets control help document to change the lead paragraph to say, “Google primarily uses the content on the page to automatically determine the appropriate snippet. We may also use descriptive information in the meta description element when it describes the page better than other parts of the content.”

The previous wording was, “Google uses a number of different sources to automatically determine the appropriate snippet, including descriptive information in the meta description tag for each page. We may also use information found on the page, or create rich results based on markup and content on the page.”

Why This Matters

Most of you probably already knew that Google primarily uses the page content for the snippets it shows in the Google Search results. But there are some cases where Google may use other HTML elements for your snippets. But primarily Google will pull that content from what it finds on the visible content on your pages.

This update is significant as it may represent a big change in how meta descriptions are written and how content is optimized. The clarification made by Google can help webmasters and SEO professionals better understand how Google’s algorithm chooses what to display as the snippet in the search results.

Key Takeaways

In conclusion, Google’s recent clarification regarding the primary source of search result snippets is a valuable insight for anyone involved in SEO or content creation. It emphasizes the importance of quality page content and may influence future strategies for writing meta descriptions and optimizing content.