Featured Snippet — Definition & Meaning
What is Featured Snippet?
A featured snippet is the answer box Google shows at the top of the SERP ("position zero"), extracted from a page already ranking in the top 10. Formats include paragraph, list, table, and video. Winning one can 2-5x your CTR for the query.
Key points
- Snippets are extracted, not authored — Google pulls the passage it thinks best answers the query.
- Paragraph snippets favour 40-60 word answers directly under a question-formatted H2 or H3.
- List snippets favour clean <ol> or <ul> markup with 5-8 short items and no marketing filler.
- Table snippets need a real HTML <table> with a clear <thead> — CSS tables do not count.
- You can only win a snippet if you already rank in the top 10 — snippet optimisation is a rewrite tactic, not a fresh-content tactic.
Example
Search "how to disavow a backlink" and the paragraph snippet is a 55-word extract from a page ranking #4, not #1 — because the #1 buries its answer under 800 words of intro.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a featured snippet and an AI Overview?
A snippet is a single extract from one page. An AI Overview is a generated summary blending 3-8 pages. Snippets have existed since 2014; AI Overviews launched in 2024.
How do I steal a competitor's featured snippet?
Rank in the top 10 for the query, mirror the winning snippet's format (paragraph vs list vs table), and give a tighter, more self-contained answer directly under an H2 that matches the query wording.
Does winning a featured snippet cannibalise my organic click?
Rarely for informational queries — CTR usually rises 2-5x. For transactional queries where the user needs your product, snippets can slightly reduce clicks but boost brand recall.