What is Featured Snippet?
A featured snippet is a block at the top of a search results page that reproduces an extract from one page — a paragraph, list or table — as a direct answer to the query, with a link to the source. The page is selected algorithmically from results already ranking for the term.
- Category
- Search, AEO & AI Visibility
- Also called
- Position zero, Answer box
Snippets are won by format as much as by authority. A query that implies a sequence tends to surface a list; one implying a comparison tends to surface a table. Matching the page’s structure to the shape the query implies is the most reliable lever, and it is why a page with a clean table can take a snippet from a stronger competitor whose answer is buried in prose.
Eligibility generally requires already ranking on the first page for the query, so snippet work is a refinement of existing ranking rather than a shortcut past it.
Related terms.
Answer-First Content
Search, AEO & AI VisibilityAnswer-first content resolves the question it poses in its opening lines — typically a 40 to 70 word paragraph containing the direct answer and a specific figure — before any background or setup.
AI Overviews
Search, AEO & AI VisibilityAI Overviews are Google’s generated summaries shown above the traditional results for many queries, assembled from multiple web sources and displayed with links to them.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Search, AEO & AI VisibilityAnswer engine optimization is the practice of structuring content so that AI answer engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, Google AI Overviews — cite it inside their generated answers.
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