Glossary
Featured Snippet
A highlighted search result that displays an answer to a query directly on the SERP, pulled from a webpage's content.
A featured snippet is a special SERP position that Google extracts and displays prominently above the organic results, usually containing a direct answer to a user's question. Google formats these snippets as paragraphs, lists, tables, or definitions, depending on the query intent and source content. The snippet links to the source page, which still appears in the standard organic results below.
Featured snippets matter because they occupy prime SERP real estate and draw eyes and clicks before the #1 organic result. Appearing in a featured snippet can significantly increase traffic even from a lower ranking position. However, the snippet also serves as an answer on the page itself, which sometimes reduces click-through rates if the user finds their answer sufficient without visiting the site.
To pursue featured snippets, SEOs typically format content to directly answer common questions—using clear, concise paragraphs for definition queries, tables for comparisons, and ordered or unorganized lists for how-to and "best of" questions. Ranking in the top 10 for a query is usually required to be eligible for the snippet; optimization involves matching the content structure to the query type and keeping the answer under ~40–60 words for paragraphs.