A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box that appears above or near the top of the organic results, showing an extract from one web page along with its link. It is often called position zero. Winning one is an on-page SEO tactic built on clear, well-structured answers.
Types of featured snippet
- Paragraph: a 40 to 60 word definition or explanation. The most common type.
- List: numbered steps or bulleted items, often pulled from headings or list markup.
- Table: prices, comparisons, specifications.
- Video: a YouTube clip, sometimes jumping to the relevant moment.
Featured snippets and AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews now appear on many queries that used to show snippets, and they cite several sources rather than one. The good news is that the same content formatting helps with both: concise, accurate answers under clear question headings.
How Google chooses snippets
Google pulls snippets almost always from pages already ranking on page one, usually in the top five. It looks for a passage that directly and concisely answers the query. Ranking first does not guarantee the snippet; a page in position four with a better-formatted answer can win it.
How to win a featured snippet
- Target question queries where a snippet already appears. Tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush can filter keywords by SERP feature.
- Use the question as a heading (H2 or H3), matching how people phrase it.
- Answer directly below it in 40 to 60 words. Start with the term: “Crawl budget is…”
- Use lists and tables for processes and comparisons, with proper HTML markup.
- Expand after the answer with detail, examples and nuance.
- Study the current snippet and make yours clearer, more accurate or more complete.
Example
Heading: What is a meta description?
Answer: “A meta description is a short HTML summary of a page, around 150 characters, that search engines may show below the title in results. It does not affect rankings directly but can increase click-through rate.”
Can snippets reduce clicks?
For simple facts, yes: the searcher gets the answer without clicking. For complex topics, a snippet builds trust and drives clicks from people who want more. Focus on questions where the full answer needs your page.
How to opt out
The nosnippet or data-nosnippet attributes stop Google showing text from your page in snippets, but they also limit regular descriptions. Most sites should not use them.
Frequently asked questions
Does schema markup help win snippets?
Not directly. Snippets come from page text, though schema markup helps other rich results.
How long does it take to win one?
Once the page is recrawled with improved formatting, often within weeks if it already ranks well.
Related terms
See answer engine optimisation, header tags and the SEO encyclopedia.
Mr. SEO
Mr. SEO is the webmaster at SEO TT - SEO tips and tricks, a publication about all things SEO related.