How to optimize for software carousels? [2019]

[KHritz]

There was a lot of discussion back in spring 2017 when carousels were expanded in Google. But no definitive answers on how Google determines which sites rank for these results and what SEOs can do to get listed. My site (ansys.com) ranks for some of these results (example: "cfd software"), but the product listed in the result is not the primary product from our suite that should rank for these queries. Also the image Google displays is an outdated product logo pulled from a low-level blog post. This despite having structured data  on our site with correct logos. Also, we only rank for carousels in one of our product categories and not others, despite ranking on pg. 1 for those results. So rank doesn't seem to be a primary factor.

What is the secret sauce for ranking for these software carousels? And is it even worth it to try?

[Psnowden]

Your question lead me to discover the complete answer for myself, as I'm also always on the path of discovery. I found this whiteboard Friday that also lead to this article about using screaming frog which I found extremely informative.  Hope that helps -Paul