Featured Snippet

Definition

Featured Snippet - The highlighted box that appears at the top of some Google results, pulling a direct answer from a web page. Claiming the featured snippet ('position zero') dramatically increases click-through rates for informational queries.

In more depth

Featured snippets appear above the first organic result for many informational queries, providing a direct answer pulled from a specific web page. They come in several formats: paragraph snippets (a block of text answering a question), list snippets (numbered or bulleted steps), and table snippets (data presented in tabular format). The type of snippet Google shows depends on the nature of the query.

Claiming the featured snippet for a query you already rank for - typically a top-5 result - changes your CTR, though studies disagree on the direction and size of the effect (older research found snippets could reduce the top result's own clicks; more recent studies have found the opposite for the page that holds the snippet). For simple factual queries, featured snippets can also reduce clicks overall ("zero-click searches") because users get their answer without visiting a page.

Optimising for featured snippets involves: answering the target question clearly and concisely in the first paragraph of a section, using the exact question as a subheading (H2 or H3), and structuring the answer in the format Google favours for that query type (paragraph, numbered list, table). FAQPage schema can also increase the likelihood of FAQ-style featured snippets appearing alongside your result.

Related terms: SERP (Search Engine Results Page) - Schema Markup - CTR (Click-Through Rate) - Search Intent

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a featured snippet?

You generally need to already rank in the top 5 for the query. From there: structure a clear, direct answer to the exact question in your content. Use the question as a heading. Keep answers concise - 40-60 words for paragraph snippets, 6-8 items for list snippets. Use FAQPage schema for FAQ-style content.

Can I lose rankings by getting a featured snippet?

Sometimes, but not commonly. The featured snippet typically displaces the page's traditional blue-link result, so you appear once (as the snippet) rather than twice. For very broad informational queries, the traffic from the snippet may be lower than the traffic from a traditional position 1 result. Evaluate on a query-by-query basis.