Rich snippets are the bits of relevant information that you see alongside major entries in Google’s (and other search engines’) SERPs, helping listings stand out from normal search results and the traditional standard blue link.
Rich snippets are actually a form of structured data or structured data markup, which is a special code that is added to a page’s HTML and allows search engines understand properly and categorize your site, while using bits of that information to aid searchers in finding their intended destinations.
When adding structured data, site owners help major search engines categorize content types and generate rich results in Google search results, making listings more eye catching and informative for potential customers.
Rich results usually appear in the SERPs as enhanced search results, often including non textual elements such as star ratings, product prices, a thumbnail image, or other additional information that goes beyond a normal snippet.
A simple snippet example, like the one below, might include a short description, review snippet with star ratings, or a product snippet that highlights availability.
These extra details allow rich results to take up more digital real estate and draw more attention in Google search.
On the surface, it may not seem like rich snippets have much power, but they’re growing in importance as search engine optimization functions expand and users demand more from their typical Google search results experience.
Table of Contents
The Purpose of Rich Snippets
Before you can get rich snippets, you have to understand why rich snippets exist in the first place and how search engines use it.
Providing information to searchers
The first and perhaps most important role of rich snippets is to provide key information to searchers directly in search results.
As a simple example, the meta description of a given page always pops up under the page title. When combined with structured data items, search engines may also display extra information such as review snippet data, product prices, or availability status.
This description informs a reader of what they might expect should they decide to click through, and could often leading to more clicks and more traffic.
Other information types, like product information, review ratings, and notifications like “in stock” can also qualify as rich snippets so long as they appear in Google’s actual search result.
Providing categorization information to Google
Google and other search engines love rich snippets because they rely on structured data code and help its algorithms understand the purpose of individual pages. Your page titles do much to inform the search engine about the topic of your page, but structured data markup embedded in the page’s HTML offers more in-depth, specific information that Google can then use to ensure your site shows up for relevant searches.
This is how Google understands whether a page represents a local business, a product, news articles, video content, or recipe markup.
Providing raw data to Google
Additionally, Google uses rich snippets (and other forms of structured markup) to accumulate raw information that it can then compile in knowledge panels and other SERP features, such as its Knowledge Graph, which provides direct answers to common user questions. These features may pull additional info, extra data, or additional information directly into Google’s interface.
This doesn’t help your site in any meaningful way, but it’s another reason why Google loves to see rich snippets and encourages site owners to use structured data wherever possible.
Increasing your domain authority (eventually)
Currently, there is no ranking benefit to including rich snippets throughout your site. However, Google recently implied that rich snippets will be considered in its master ranking algorithm eventually, meaning your inclusion of rich snippets will eventually pay off in the form of higher ranks.
As rich results drive more attention, more clicks, and stronger engagement signals, they can indirectly contribute to improved visibility and authority over time.
How Important Are Rich Snippets?
Now that you’re familiar with the general purposes of rich snippets, we can take a look at exactly how important each of these functions are to your site so you can implement structured data.
Earning higher rankings
Like I mentioned above, currently there’s no direct ranking benefit in including rich snippets on your site.
However, if your rich snippets are detailed and compelling enough to encourage a greater number of click throughs, you might earn a slight increase in rank from that extra relevant traffic and outperform normal search results by improving click-through rate. Pages that display rich snippets or enhanced features may gain incremental ranking improvements through stronger user signals.
In the future, rich snippets can (and almost certainly will) benefit your rank.
Increasing traffic
Rich snippets are highly important for attracting more traffic (instead of manually building links) and clicks from your search rankings.
In fact, you can generally count on an increase of up to 30 percent when you include additional information, star ratings, or extra details versus leaving them out entirely.
That’s a major increase for a relatively simple step, so it’s definitely worth your time to include.
For ecommerce and local business sites, rich results can surface product prices, availability, or reviews directly in Google search results, attracting more qualified visitors and potential customers.
The more detailed, concise, and compelling you are in the language you use, the better results you’ll see.
Multiple purposes
Also keep in mind that some pages (and some sites in general) stand to benefit from rich snippets more than others.
For example, an ecommerce site might be able to show off newly discounted prices, or items that are in stock, or user ratings of specific products all within a search entry to maximize the chances of eventual conversion. Sites that can take advantage of this should always use rich snippets, no matter what.
Different types of rich results serve different goals. Common types include:
-
Review snippet results with star ratings
-
Product snippet results showing pricing and availability
-
Recipe markup with cooking time
-
Video content with a thumbnail image
-
Local business rich results
-
News articles with enhanced formatting
These common types of rich results help listings stand out across many content types.
The future of rich snippets
In the next few years, Google is going to do more to reward sites that offer rich snippets, and users are going to become more reliant on them to make informed decisions.
They’ll also become easier to incorporate and manage as technologies respond to these needs.
In short, rich snippets are very important already, and will continue to grow in importance over time.
How to Implement Rich Snippets
Some CMSs offer easy editing for rich snippets, enabling users to directly add structured data code without touching the source code directly. SEO plugins such as Rank Math generate JSON-LD structured data automatically, simplifying implementation for most site owners.
In other cases, you’ll have to enlist the help of a developer, who can directly add structured data code to a page’s HTML using JSON-LD, which is Google’s preferred structured data format.
Either way, you’ll have to make the time and effort to establish appropriate rich snippets for each page of your site.
If you aren’t familiar with structured data or microformatting at all, a good place to start is Schema.org.
Schema microformatting is the generally accepted system of categorization on the web, sponsored by Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, Yandex, and other major brands.
On their site, you’ll find all the tools, tips, and instructions you need to incorporate proper structured markups on your site.
If you haven’t already, work to include rich snippets for all your site’s pages to improve how search engines understand your content and to increase your chances of earning rich results instead of a standard blue link.
They’ll work wonders in increasing click throughs to your site, and in the future, they might even increase your rank.
Just be sure to keep a close eye on new developments in this area, as microformatting is liable to evolve over the next several years.
If you need help implementing your rich snippets, we can certainly help!
Or, if you want to learn more about our white label SEO and content marketing services? Get in touch today!
- Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Lawyers in 2026 & Beyond - January 22, 2026
- Using Rich Snippets to Improve SEO, Link Building & Click-throughs - January 19, 2026
- How to Use Podcasts for SEO and Link Building in 2026 - January 12, 2026