Featured snippet

How Google picks them

Google says featured snippets are chosen automatically when its systems determine that a format will help people find what they are looking for, and there is no markup you can add to request one (Featured snippets). The page has to be indexed and eligible for a normal snippet. You can opt out with the nosnippet rule, or limit the excerpt length with max-snippet, though both also affect your regular snippet.

Since early 2020, a page shown in a featured snippet is not repeated as a separate organic result on the first page.

The common formats

• Paragraph: a short definition or explanation, usually from the text directly under a matching heading.
• List: numbered steps or bulleted items, often assembled from a list or from a sequence of headings.
• Table: prices, specifications or comparisons pulled from an HTML table.
• Video: a clip from a video with a suggested start point.

How to write for them

1. Use the question, or a close version of it, as a heading.
2. Answer it in the first 40 to 60 words below, in a complete sentence that would make sense out of context.
3. Use real HTML lists and tables rather than styled div elements.
4. Add depth after the direct answer, so the click is worth making.

Our view: on many informational queries, an AI Overview now sits above or replaces the featured snippet. The same writing habits serve both, so the work is not wasted. The answer engine optimization guide covers answer formatting across search features and assistants.