What is SERP Features?
SERP features are the non-blue-link elements on a Google results page — AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, image packs, video carousels, local packs, knowledge panels, shopping results, and site links. They now occupy 40-70% of a typical SERP and are ranked separately from organic blue links.
SERP features with an example query
| SERP feature | Example query that triggers it |
|---|---|
| AI Overview | "how does keyword difficulty work" |
| Featured snippet | "how to disavow toxic backlinks" |
| People Also Ask | "best running shoes 2026" |
| Local pack | "coffee shop near me" |
| Shopping results | "buy wireless mouse" |
| Video carousel | "how to tie a tie" |
| Image pack | "modern living room ideas" |
| Knowledge panel | "ahrefs" (brand/entity query) |
| Site links | "lemrank" (branded navigational query) |
How SERP Features works
- Each feature has its own eligibility rules — snippet ≠ AI Overview ≠ PAA. Optimising for one does not automatically win the others.
- Universal features: AI Overview, snippet, PAA, video, image, site links. Vertical-specific: shopping (commercial), local pack (local queries), knowledge panel (brand queries).
- Winning a feature at position 15 can drive more clicks than the #3 blue link on a feature-heavy SERP.
- Track your SERP feature footprint — which features you own vs which competitors own — as a top-level competitive metric.
- AI Overviews and snippets are the two highest-CTR features for informational queries; shopping and local pack dominate transactional and local queries.
Example
A SERP for "best crm software" typically shows: 3 shopping ads, an AI Overview, a video carousel, 4 PAA questions, a comparison-table snippet, and only THEN the blue links — pushing the #1 organic result below the fold on mobile.
Frequently asked questions about SERP Features
What are the most common SERP features?
AI Overviews (30% of queries), featured snippets (~15%), People Also Ask (~50%), video carousels (~25%), image packs (~20%), and local packs (~30% of location-tagged queries).
How do I track my SERP feature ownership?
Use a rank tracker with SERP-feature detection — most log per-keyword feature footprints daily. LemRank tracks 20+ feature types per keyword automatically.
Which SERP features drive the most clicks?
Featured snippets and AI Overview citations for informational queries; shopping and local pack for commercial queries; site links for branded queries.
Related terms
SERP
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page — the page Google (or Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) returns after a query. Modern SERPs mix classic blue links with AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image packs, videos, and shopping carousels.
AI Overview
An AI Overview is Google's generative answer that appears above the blue links for informational queries. Powered by Gemini, it summarises 3-8 cited sources into a synthesized answer, often with follow-up questions attached. AI Overviews now trigger on ~30% of US queries.
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.
People Also Ask (PAA)
People Also Ask is Google's expandable question box on the SERP, showing 4 related questions with click-to-reveal answers. Each expanded question loads 2-4 more, so a single PAA box can surface 20+ questions. Winning a PAA slot drives clicks even from position 30+.