Featured snippet
A featured snippet is a summary box at the top of a search results page that answers the query directly. It pulls the answer from a third-party page and gives that page premium SERP real estate.
Also known as:
Position zero, answer box, instant answer
What is featured snippet?
A featured snippet is a special SERP element, usually shown above the standard organic results, that pulls a concise answer from one of the top-ranking pages and displays it directly. Snippets come in several formats: paragraph answers, bulleted lists, numbered steps and tables. The page that wins the snippet is sometimes called "position zero," since it sits above result number one and earns substantially more clicks than the typical top result.
Paragraph snippet: Two to four sentences answering "what is" or "why does" questions
List snippet: A bulleted or numbered list answering "how to" or "best of" queries
Table snippet: Comparison data pulled from rows and columns of a structured page
Video snippet: A short clip from YouTube with the relevant timestamp pre-selected
Why does featured snippet matter?
Featured snippets do two things at once: they multiply your organic visibility and they often deliver answers without a click, which can erode traffic. The trade-off depends on intent. A snippet for a complex commercial query usually drives more clicks than it loses, while a snippet for a quick fact like "boiling point of water" mostly satisfies the searcher in place. Targeting snippets selectively is more useful than chasing every one.
How do you use featured snippet?
Identify queries where a snippet already appears, then optimize content to match its format, whether paragraph, list, table or steps.
Place a tight, definition-style answer near the top of the page, directly under an H2 framed as the question itself.
Monitor snippet wins and losses monthly in Google Search Console, since competitors can take a snippet by serving a slightly cleaner answer.
