Why do sites w/o structured data beat me for rich snippets?

[AlexLenhoff]

I can't figure this out. For a number of search terms that I compete for, there are competitors that rank below me, but their pages are featured in a rich snippet.  I wanted to see what kind of structured data these sites are providing, thinking maybe there's something I can learn.  But when I run these URLs through Google's Structured Data Testing Tool, it tells me these pages contain no structured data!

So how is it that Google think's my page is more relevant (I rank higher) and I have structured data, but Google chooses to feature a different page?  Does anyone have ideas on how I can snag these rich snippets for myself?

[Roman-Delcarmen]

As I know the most relevant factor are the links and the authority of a website, which means link's
Try to see which links are pointing to those websites and compare it with your own backlinks.

[davebuts]

Hi Alex,

I think you are talking about featured snippets here, not rich snippets.

There is no structured data markup that will help you get featured snippets. Google uses an algorithm to determine which page it thinks answers the search query the best and pulls through a snippet from that page into the SERPs.

If you are not familiar with featured snippets and how to optimize your content to increase your chances of getting them, I would suggest reading/listening to the following resources:

• What We Learned From Analyzing 1.4 Million Featured Snippets
• Ahrefs’ Study Of 2 Million Featured Snippets: 10 Important Takeaways
• Seizing The Featured Snippet Gold Rush w/Rob Bucci [Podcast]

I also wrote an in-depth guide on how to find easy featured snippet opportunities for you website, which might help you.

Cheers,

David